The Bush campaign also acknowledged Thursday that it had doctored a photo used in an ad by multiplying the images of troops watching Bush speak. The ad, released on Wednesday, was intended to underscore Bush's commitment to the military.
In Toledo, Kerry contrasted Bush's handling of the explosives situation with John F. Kennedy's response to the Bay of Pigs debacle, the bungled invasion of Cuba in 1961. "When the Bay of Pigs went sour, John Kennedy had the courage to look America in the eye and say, 'I take responsibility, it's my fault,' " said Kerry. "John Kennedy knew how to take responsibility for the mistakes he made, and Mr. President, it's long since time for you to start taking responsibility for the mistakes you made." Kerry adviser Michael McCurry said Kerry was not trying to compare the events in Cuba and Iraq, just the responses.
Concerned about the GOP argument that the Democrats are blaming the troops for the lost munitions, Kerry's running mate, John Edwards, escalated his defense on Thursday, demanding that Bush show that he had ordered the troops to secure the explosives in Iraq. "Our men and women in uniform did their job. It's George Bush, the commander in chief, who didn't do his job," said Edwards, who called on Bush to "step aside."
Both sides are targeting what they see as the typical undecided voter, a person troubled by the Bush presidency but torn over Kerry's ability to do a better job on national security. At rallies in swing states, Kerry and Bush appeal specifically to such individuals mostly by criticizing their opponent and raising the prospects of catastrophe if they do not win.
"The security of our country is at stake," Bush bluntly said on Thursday. Bush said Kerry's "lack of conviction" signals to enemies "that if you make things uncomfortable, if you stir up trouble, John Kerry will back off."
In Toledo, Kerry said Bush has put troops -- and Americans in general -- at greater risk. Kerry said he will fight a "smarter, more effective, more strategic war on terror that will make America safer."
In making these arguments, both candidates have largely scrapped earlier intentions to close the campaign on a positive note. And jobs, health care and social issues have become secondary in the final battles, as have specific policy ideas. In Michigan, Bush acknowledged: "I understand there are some people hurting in Michigan." But the admission was buried deep in his stump speech -- a relief to the Bush campaign on a day when the Labor Department reported an unexpectedly large increase in new claims for unemployment benefits.
Anxious strategists on both sides, digesting inconclusive and sometimes contradictory daily poll results, acknowledge that they have little confidence to predict what will happen on Tuesday.
Kerry's crowds have been generally larger than Bush's, although this may reflect the Bush campaign's more stringent controls on attendance as much as the growing support for Kerry. The Massachusetts senator still plans to shift away from Iraq in the final days to make a broader pitch for a Democratic victory and a leadership change in Washington. But a top aide said Kerry will ride the explosives issue right up until election night if it works.
The candidate's most prominent foray into domestic affairs on Thursday was his donning of an oversized Boston Red Sox cap as he celebrated his hometown team's World Series victory. But Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling said on ABC's "Good Morning America" that he supports Bush -- and the campaign quickly scheduled him to appear with Bush in New Hampshire on Friday.
VandeHei is traveling with Kerry. Staff writers John Wagner, traveling with Edwards, and Lyndsey Layton, traveling with Cheney, contributed to this report.
