Weeks of relentless attacks finally drew U.S. President George W. Bush into the political fray on Monday, as he lashed out at the Democrats in a speech to supporters in Washington.

Bush has seen his support drop in opinion polls as the Democrats use their primaries campaign to attack his record in office.

Without naming any of the Democrats in his 40-minute speech, Bush took a swipe at John Kerry, the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination.

George Bush
George Bush

The Democratic candidates, Bush said, are "for tax cuts and against them. They're for NAFTA and against NAFTA. They're for the Patriot Act and against the Patriot Act. They're in favour of liberating Iraq, and opposed to it. And that's just one senator from Massachusetts."

Bush also took aim at Democrats who have criticized last year's invasion of Iraq, but say the world is safer without Saddam Hussein in power. "Maybe they were hoping he'd lose the next Iraqi election," said Bush.

Bush spoke to 1,400 party faithful at a fundraiser for Republican governors.

Even before the speech, Kerry said Bush was entering the fray because the Democrats have him on the run.

Aides inside Kerry's campaign team said Bush's attacks didn't accurately represent the senator's policy positions.

Spokesperson Stephanie Cutter said Kerry opposed Bush's tax cuts for rich Americans and still does, voted for the North American Free Trade Agreement and stands by it, voted for the Patriot Act but believes the Justice Department is using it to trample civil liberties, and stands by his support for force in Iraq, but says Bush did a poor job of running the war.

Bush's campaign team plans to ramp up Bush's re-election bid in early March with aggressive advertising.

Kerry, meanwhile, has hopes of all but sealing up the Democratic nomination on March 2, the so-called Super Tuesday, when 10 states including New York and California hold their primaries and caucuses.

The only serious contender left to challenge Kerry is North Carolina Senator John Edwards.

"The American people want this campaign to be about the future, not the past," Edwards said at a campaign stop on Monday. "We offer leadership and hope, the Republicans want to exploit fears and re-litigate the past."