MANCHESTER, N.H. – Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean promised to restore America’s international prestige Monday as he made a final push for support during a mid-day rally at Manchester’s Palace Theater.

The former Vermont governor cited deteriorating relations between the United States and other foreign governments as evidence that America no longer receives the respect that it did before President George W. Bush’s inauguration in 2000.

Dean promised to restore ailing international ties by being less confrontational in foreign relations – a political tactic that would involve little military action, he said.

“Today, after three years of the administration of George Bush, you would be hard pressed to find a country where a majority of people would want to be like us,” Dean said. “What this president doesn’t understand is that America doesn’t only succeed with a strong military. It also needs a set of ideals that the rest of the world admires and aspires to have.”

Dean also attacked Bush’s decision to invade Iraq last March. He said there is still no evidence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and Dean said Bush cannot prove Iraq had attempted to buy uranium from Africa – a claim he made in his 2003 State of the Union address.

“The president told us that Iraq was buying uranium from West Africa. There was no evidence for that. The secretary of defense said he knew just where the weapons of mass destruction were in Tikrit and Baghdad. There was no evidence for that,” Dean said. “I knew that what George Bush was saying was not true. If I can figure it out, how come no one else can?”

Bush’s lack of military action in North Korea was also a sticking point for Dean, who said the president has not done enough to prevent a potentially volatile situation from getting out of hand.

“The president assumes that North Korea will collapse the way East Germany did,” Dean said. “I think that we can’t afford to take the risk, because if they don’t collapse there is the potential that they already have or will have nuclear weapons and they will sell them for hard currency to a country harboring terrorists or a rogue nation.”

While Dean spent nearly half of his speech criticizing Bush, he said he would make a better president because he says what he believes and he carried the Vermont economy through two recessions and balanced the state’s budget simultaneously.

But if Dean intends to win Tuesday, he will have to see a tremendous increase in voter support, according to a WCVB-TV/FOX poll.

After a third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, Dean’s numbers have dropped significantly, while those of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry have skyrocketed, placing Dean nearly 13 points behind Kerry in New Hampshire, according to the poll.

Despite Dean’s recently lagging numbers, there was a strong show of support at the rally. Dilbert Price traveled from Ohio to see Dean as part of the American Federation of State Council for Police.

“I think he is a comeback kid, but I think he will finish a close second,” Price said. “I think most voters think he is a viable candidate.”

Connie Danmener also made a long-distance trip to see Dean – she traveled from Iowa after the caucuses to support Dean.

“I think he was great – I think he is the best candidate for the job, and I think he did great today,” she said. “I think he is a really good candidate on labor and [has] an excellent record in Vermont on labor – that is why I choose him.”

Dean will continue campaigning in New Hampshire through Tuesday’s primaries and is expected to travel to South Carolina on Wednesday morning.