Candidates Debut Closing Themes

Bush and Kerry Gear Up for Final Push

At the AARP convention in Las Vegas, John F. Kerry derided the president as disconnected from people's problems. (Gerald Herbert -- AP)

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 14 -- John F. Kerry rolled out a new campaign speech packed with populist rhetoric and sharp indictments of the Bush administration Thursday, while President Bush sounded the theme he will take to voters in the next 2 1/2 weeks: that Kerry is a big-government Massachusetts liberal.

At the AARP convention here, the Democrat ridiculed the president for saying in Wednesday's debate that healthy people should forgo flu vaccinations to save supplies for the sick and the elderly: "Sounds just like his health care plan: Hope and pray you do not get sick."

An overriding theme of Kerry's speech -- and his message for the final days of the campaign -- was that Bush is disconnected not only from the problems facing Americans but also from reality altogether. "He has spent this entire campaign trying to make us believe the unbelievable," Kerry said. Moments later, he added: "The president just does not seem to get it. He can spin until he's dizzy, but, at the end of the day, who does he think the American people are going to believe: George Bush or their own eyes?"

Speaking at a Las Vegas rally a few hours after Kerry appeared before the retiree organization, Bush told supporters: "Our very different records are a window into what we believe and what we'll do in the next four years. The senator believes in bigger government. I believe in more freedom and choices for our citizens."

Bush made a rare appearance in the press cabin of Air Force One en route to Las Vegas on Thursday morning to say he remains confident about his chances, despite some instant polls that indicated Kerry had won the third debate and national polls that show the race virtually even.

"The pundits and the spinners will all have their opinion, but there's only one opinion that matters, and that's the opinion of the American people on November the 2nd," he said. "And I feel great about where we are."

Bush advisers said little about this unusual visit with reporters, the first time Bush has ventured to the back of the plane since the early days of his presidency. Bush, accompanied by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), appeared eager to signal that the debates were behind him and that he prefers the verdict of the voters on Election Day.

The latest Washington Post tracking poll indicated a dead heat in the presidential race, with Bush and Kerry each getting the support of 48 percent of likely voters.

The Bush and Kerry schedules reflected both campaign's similar appraisals of where the battles are most intense. After two stops in Nevada, Bush flew to Oregon, and he will be in Iowa and Wisconsin on Friday. Kerry concluded his day Thursday in Des Moines and will go to Wisconsin on Friday as well.

In Wednesday's third and final debate, Kerry aides said their research showed that Kerry made significant gains on character issues, such as honesty and leadership, two areas in which Bush has often enjoyed a commanding edge.

Kerry also emerged from the debates with a more positive image on the issues of war and presidential leadership, but Bush advisers said the president still retains a lead on those issues.

Mike Donilon, a Kerry adviser, said Kerry's gains on the "character dimension" have helped solidify support among independent and undecided voters and helped "essentially undo" perceptions that the Democratic nominee is a flip-flopper who cannot be trusted in a time of war.

Bush advisers did not quibble with evidence that Kerry has gained the most from the three debates but said they were not surprised that the president's pre-debate lead has evaporated, given Kerry's debating skills, the morale boost Kerry's performance had has provided the Democrats, and the bad news -- a weak jobs report and a new report about the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq -- for the president last week.

They argued that the third debate, in particular, has provided openings for Bush to attack Kerry on health care, taxes and immigration. They said Bush will try to exploit them in the final stretch of the campaign.