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By DEBORAH ORIN, VINCENT MORRIS and IAN BISHOP

August 27, 2004 -- President Bush yesterday teamed up with popular Sen. John McCain by vowing to go to court to curtail independent TV attack ads like those run by Swift boat veterans against John Kerry — but Kerry didn't get on board with the plan.

In yet another twist to the Swift boat story that has exploded into an election "X factor," the Kerry campaign agreed to take down its own anti-Bush attack ad after McCain said he didn't like being used in it.

"I very much don't want them to use clips from my [2000] primary campaign against the president," said McCain, referring to video from four years ago that shows McCain chiding Bush.

The candidates' moves underscored the pivotal role that McCain plays in the campaign, with both candidates trying to piggyback on his popularity.

Kerry may not be losing much by dropping the ad with McCain. A study of 206 independent voters who viewed the spot found it didn't have much impact on them, according to New Jersey-based HCC Research.

By contrast, the Swift vets' ads — and their anti-Kerry best-selling book, "Unfit for Command" — have rocked the presidential race and knocked Kerry off-balance by challenging his character and truthfulness.

Their charges got a new boost yesterday when Navy crewmate William Schachte — who isn't part of the Swift vets group — broke his silence and told columnist Robert Novak that Kerry didn't tell the truth about his first Purple Heart.

The Swift vets posted a new Internet ad starring ex-Navy gunner Steve Gardner, who says he spent more time on Kerry's boat than anyone — and Kerry's claim that he spent Christmas 1968 on a covert Cambodia mission is "categorically a lie."

Bush called McCain from Air Force One early yesterday as he was flying to a New Mexico campaign rally. The president said "he wanted to work together to pursue court action to shut down all the ads and activities by these shadowy '527 groups,' " said White House press secretary Scott McClellan.

McCain said: "I enthusiastically applaud President Bush's commitment" — adding that he doesn't want to ban groups like the Swift vets, but simply force them to live by the same tighter funding rules as other political-action groups.

But Kerry's campaign declined to join the lawsuit. The majority of 527 groups are Democrats running anti-Bush ads.

If the 527s had to follow the same rules as other political groups, they'd be restricted to $5,000 a year per donor — and couldn't take the $15 million that Bush-hating billionaire George Soros has given.

By contrast, there would be far less impact on the Swift vets — who have raised more than $2 million on the Internet in contributions averaging just $64, which would remain perfectly legal.

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