The escalating argument came amid revelations that the weeklong controversy was based on an inaccurate transcript provided by a reporter covering the Florida fund-raiser where Mr. Kerry made a similar remark. As Vice President Dick Cheney and Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, continued to criticize Mr. Kerry on the issue, the reporter — one of two allowed to attend the event on behalf of the press corps … said Monday that he had made a mistake when transcribing his recording of the session.

The inaccurate quotation was widely reported, including on several occasions in The New York Times.

Patrick Healy, the Boston Globe reporter who covered the fund-raiser, had quoted Mr. Kerry as saying: "I've met foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly, but, boy, they look at you and say, `You have got to win this; you have got to beat this guy; we need a new policy.' Things like that."

Mr. Kerry said on Sunday that he had used the word "heard," not "met," prompting Mr. Healy to revisit the recording. On Monday, he sent out a corrected transcript, clarifying that the quotation actually began, "I've met more leaders who can't go out and say it all publicly."