In a possible preview of a presidential stump speech, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack flayed the Bush administration yesterday, charging that the president and his team were incompetent and untrustworthy.

Appearing with Gov. Ed Rendell before the state convention of the AFL-CIO, the Pittsburgh native faulted the White House's performance on Iraq, terrorism and promoting economic equity.

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"We look at the mess in Iraq; we no longer believe the president who, a thousand deaths ago, told us that the mission was accomplished," Mr. Vilsack said. "And we certainly don't believe those who now claim we're somehow safer for what we've done in Iraq, when they are the very same people who are telling us it's not a matter of if but when our homeland gets attacked."

Mr. Vilsack, who plans to step down after wrapping up his second term as governor this year, is among the Democrats regarded as likely presidential contenders in 2008.

He insisted, after his speech yesterday in Downtown Pittsburgh, that his focus was solely on electing fellow Democrats in 2006, but his rhetoric before the labor delegates suggested tested themes that might inform his own presidential bid in the election cycle to follow.

He echoed the recent widespread Democratic indictment of the White House, criticizing its performance on issues from the war to Hurricane Katrina.

Mr. Vilsack drew laughter from the labor partisans with his dig at Vice President Dick Cheney.

"The fact is it's gotten to a point where we wonder if there's anyone in this administration who can shoot straight," he said.

He asserted that Democrats, by contrast, would deliver "a government that gives us honest and straight talk, a government that's not corrupt, that isn't working for the special interests."

"Tom Delay's resignation doesn't end the corruption in Washington, D.C.," he said.

Mr. Rendell, who spoke to the group immediately before his Democratic colleague, has occasionally been at odds with labor unions. Scars from his clashes with Philadelphia municipal unions led most of the state labor organization to line up against Mr. Rendell in his primary fight against Treasurer Bob Casey four years ago.

Bill George, the state AFL-CIO president, acknowledged that history while praising Mr. Rendell yesterday and announcing the group's endorsement for his re-election against Republican Lynn Swann,

So far in this campaign, Mr. Rendell has been somewhat circumspect in referring to his challenger, generally concentrating on extolling his own record rather than criticizing his opponent.

Mr. Vilsack wasn't so reticent about the race in Pennsylvania, his old home state. Alluding to Mr. Swann's longtime role as an on-field reporter for ABC-TV at college football games, he dismissed him as "a sideline commentator."

"He wasn't even qualified enough to get in the booth," he said, "And as a lifelong Steelers fan, I can tell you that John Stallworth was a better receiver."

Melissa Walters, Mr. Swann's press secretary, shrugged off the taunt.

"We'll leave it up to the voters of Pennsylvania to decide who's more qualified," she said.