Obama to use John Kerry as sparring partner

Barack Obama has recruited John Kerry, the failed Democratic presidential candidate, to play Mitt Romney in practice sessions for their televised debates later this year.

Kerry, a veteran US senator, will use his experience of debating George W. Bush in 2004 to help the president prepare for the three autumn showdowns that could prove crucial in his campaign for re-election.

The selection also highlighted a similarity between Kerry and Romney - two well-presented and wealthy patricians accused of "flip-flopping" on key issues - that could aid Obama.

The Obama campaign stressed that Kerry was an "expert debater" with extensive knowledge of Romney's record as governor of Massachusetts, the state he has represented in Congress since 1985.

"There is no one that has more experience or understanding of the presidential debate process than John Kerry," said David Axelrod, Obama's top strategist. "He's the obvious choice."

Bush's campaign successfully portrayed Kerry as an aloof creature of Washington who spent his spare time windsurfing, and their candidate, the multi-millionaire son of a president, as folksy. The President's re-election team is attempting to paint Romney, who made a fortune of $250?million (pounds 160?million) in private equity, as similarly detached from struggling Americans.

William Galston, a former aide to President Bill Clinton, said that Kerry was an "intelligent and articulate" man who would be able to mimic Romney's phrasing and debate tactics. "There are also, at least on the surface, similarities between them: height, vast family wealth, a reputation for a certain kind of aloofness - and excellent hair," he said.