AUBURN – Former presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. John Kerry was in Auburn Saturday to meet with veterans and deliver a boost to Democrats running for office this November.

Kerry appeared with Gov. John Baldacci and U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud for a town hall meeting at American Legion Post 153.

With a message honed by a busy travel schedule through battleground states, Kerry also preached the importance of keeping Baldacci and Michaud in office and electing Democrats to the state Legislature.

“You’ve got a great governor here,” Kerry said, after touting Baldacci’s record on building the state’s reserve accounts and investing in education. “Besides, this guy’s got seven brothers and sisters. He’s got a bigger coalition than George Bush has.”

Kerry made clear his distaste for President George Bush and his administration, and called for a new strategy in Iraq.

“The president needs to change course now,” Kerry said.

He also outlined a plan that included an international summit to address the longstanding differences between the Shia and Sunni populations in Iraq and the need to pressure the Iraqi government to take more responsibility for the country’s security, all with the goal of bringing home U.S. soldiers.

“We could do it in a year if we do it in the right way,” Kerry said.

“It’s time for the Iraqis to stand up for Iraq and time to get our heroes home,” he said.

Passionate and angry, Robert Shaw, a Danville Junction veteran and retired employee of the U.S. Department of Defense, took clear aim at the Bush administration.

Shaw pointed to a table in the Legion hall where socks, foot warmers, chapsticks and cookies were being collected to send to a Marine unit serving in Iraq. He said the unit had sent a letter with the wish list, hoping for some help. “I was just appalled. They’ve taken and privatized our military. I would like to see some accountability.”

“When I read that letter, my stomach got tied up in knots,” Shaw told the Sun Journal. “It makes me so angry.”

Kerry ran with the question.

“Day after day, these people don’t tell the truth,” Kerry said of the Bush administration. “Our military has been overstretched.”

Ed Desgrosseilliers, a member of Post 153 and a candidate for the state Senate from Auburn, introduced Michaud, Baldacci and Kerry with a humor-filled tribute to veterans, his son, Todd, who is serving in Iraq and was awarded a Silver Star, and a call to action in support of soldiers.

“What’s important is that we send a message to Washington that we’re not going to stand for this anymore.”

Kerry arrived at the American Legion after attending a fundraising reception hosted by state Rep. Margaret Craven, D-Lewiston, for the House Democratic Campaign Committee.

According to Craven, about 80 people attended the event, where Kerry also spoke about the lack of support the Bush administration has given to veterans services.

After the town hall, he was heading south to Westbrook for an event with Baldacci, U.S. Rep. Tom Allen and about 50 local firefighters. The last stop on Kerry’s schedule was a fundraiser for Baldacci Saturday night in Cape Elizabeth.

“I’m just trying to help convey the urgency of the choice and the reasons I believe that the governor has done a great job and that the congressman has delivered,” Kerry said.

“The next four years are critical,” Kerry said, describing this year’s election as one of the most important in his life.

“This has been an administration without accountability, out of control, out of touch, and it’s time to have some accountability.”

Kerry was not the only national figure visiting Maine Saturday.

Former New Jersey governor and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Christie Todd Whitman appeared at a rally in Augusta to offer her support for Republican candidates who she says are trying to expand the appeal of the party and to help launch a Maine chapter of her political organization, It’s My Party Too.

Whitman endorsed 23 legislative candidates during the event. She has also endorsed Republican U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe and state Rep. Darlene Curley, who is running in Maine’s 1st Congressional District.

“It’s something people can point to when someone asks, ‘What kind of Republican are you going to be?'” Whitman said.

A moderate, pro-choice Republican, Whitman’s political organization is named after a book she wrote after leaving the Bush administration, “It’s My Party, Too: The Battle for the Heart of the GOP and the Future of America.”

“There aren’t any litmus tests,” Whitman said. To win her endorsement, Republicans just have to agree that there’s room in the party for people with different ideas.

“We want thinking Republicans and people who realize that compromise isn’t a dirty word,” Whitman said.

Her organization is active in more than 20 states, she said.

“It’s too important for people to understand that the extremes are controlling the dialogue in both parties,” Whitman said. “That’s bad for the American people.”