Biden accuses McCain of using "Karl Rove" tactics

EVANSVILLE, Indiana (Reuters) - Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden accused Republican John McCain of using the same political tactics as President George W. Bush's strategist Karl Rove in the last days of the campaign.

Campaigning in the battleground state of Indiana, Biden said he was disappointed that Republican candidate McCain was increasing his personal attacks against the Democratic choice Barack Obama before Tuesday's election.

He equated it to the same attack strategies used by Rove during Bush's 2000 and 2004 campaigns.

"John is now reaching into that Karl Rove bag of politics," Biden said to about 1,000 supporters gathered in downtown Evansville. "I have known John a long time, it is genuinely disappointing that we continue to play this game," he said.

"They are calling Barack Obama every name in the book. They are going out in a way that I don't recall being more personally vicious ... it is probably going to be worse," he added.

Biden, who was elected to the Senate in 1972, said he was personally disappointed with fellow senator McCain.

"We have had enough of this stuff. It does not have to be this way, it does not have to be this way" he said.

After campaigning in Indiana, Biden was moving on to another battleground state, Ohio, to campaign there before finishing up in Florida for the day.

(Reporting by Sue Pleming, editing by Anthony Boadle)