PORTLAND - Democrat John Kerry basked in the praise of former rival Howard Dean on Monday at a rally intended to boost Kerry's standing with liberals tempted by Ralph Nader.

Dean, who ran on a staunchly anti-war platform, praised Kerry's Vietnam War-hero record and said he was confident Kerry would send U.S. troops into battle "only after telling the truth to the American people."

"He served his country with patriotism and valor and stood up for what's right," Dean told about 4,000 cheering supporters. "I want somebody who understands right from wrong."

For his part, Kerry said Dean will be a valuable asset across the country, not just in Oregon.

"Thank you for helping to awaken the Democratic Party, to awaken our country," said Kerry, acknowledging the former Vermont's governor's hand in energizing legions of disaffected voters. "Thank you for putting your country ahead of everything else and joining together in this great effort."

Dean can play an important role for Kerry in swing states like Oregon, where he had strong following and drew big crowds during his own run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Since dropping out three months ago, Dean has made it clear that he wants his backers to vote for Kerry. Some fear that Dean's supporters might be open to considering Nader, an independent who latest bid for the White House was endorsed last week by the national Reform Party.

Last month, Nader could gather only 741 of the 1,000 signatures needed to qualify for Oregon's presidential ballot. Earlier that day, Dean had urged the state's voters to ignore the consumer advocate's bid and stick with Kerry, the presumptive Democratic nominee. Nader is pursuing another option to qualify for Oregon's ballot, and is not yet on any state ballot.

Nader claimed 5 percent of the vote in Oregon in 2000, and its seven electoral votes are considered up for grabs this year. Democrat Al Gore carried the state by just 6,765 votes.

"The only way to send George Bush back to Crawford, Texas, is to vote for John Kerry," Dean has said. "Because unfortunately a vote for Ralph Nader is the same as a vote for George Bush."

While Kerry voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq, he has criticized President Bush's prosecution of the war. He also said the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal shows the nation is off course, which drew huge cheers.

"We cannot possibly prevail in Iraq if we give up our values in the process," Kerry said. "Our nation is viewed by people all over the world as much more than the name of a country ... we are viewed as an idea."

En route to Portland, Kerry reminded reporters of his pledge to back Bush's policy in Iraq if the president gets more countries involved, as the Democrat has suggested.

"I want to give the president some room to get things done," Kerry said. "I'm trying not to talk about it in politics."

Kerry also said Dean can be helpful to the campaign "all over the country" and that one of his stepsons had traveled to Vermont to discuss strategy with the former candidate.

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