US President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry sprinted back to the campaign trail, trying to build on their performances in a second debate that saw the presidential candidates colliding over war, jobs, education, healthcare, abortion, the environment and prescription drugs.
An instant ABC News poll suggested that the voters who tuned in for the Friday night debate picked Kerry the winner by a narrower margin than the first debate.
This time, the quick poll showed 44 percent of voters saying Kerry won, 41 percent favoring Bush and 13 percent declaring a tie. The two men fared about equally in a poll of debate viewers by CNN-USA Today-Gallup. Asked who did a better job, 47 percent said Kerry and 45 percent said Bush.
The 90 minutes included more testy exchanges on Iraq that reflected back on the first face-to-face meeting between the candidates. Bush said that if Kerry were president, former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein "would still be in power."
Kerry replied, "Not necessarily be in power ..."
The candidates also went on the offensive over job growth and the economy. Bush said tax increases would be inevitable if the Democrat took power, while Kerry promised not to raise taxes on those making US$200,000 or less.
Both candidates sped out of Friday night's debate and into some of the most narrowly divided states to build momentum in the little time for campaigning before the third debate, on domestic issues. Bush headed to Iowa and Minnesota yesterday, while his Democratic challenger is traveling to Ohio and Florida.
Kerry jumped immediately back into campaigning with a late night rally in St. Louis.
"How about two for two?" said his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, to a cheering crowd. "And on Wednesday we are going for the triple crown!"
The debate's questions were delivered by selected voters, just 25 days before the election, on subjects that spanned diplomacy, economics and ethics.
Kerry condemned Bush as the first president to see more jobs lost than created in 72 years, criticizing his successive tax cuts as a giveaway to the rich at the expense of massive budget deficits.
Kerry also responded without hesitation that he would pledge not to raise taxes on people making less than US$200,000.
"Absolutely yes, right into the camera. Yes -- I am not going to raise taxes," he said.
Bush scoffed at the answer.
"Of course he's going to raise your taxes," he said.
Bush added that Kerry would raise taxes on middle-class Americans to pay for campaign promises that he tagged at US$2.2 trillion, while labeling his opponent one of the country's most liberal senators.
Kerry showed a cooler and wordier bearing to the participants and television viewers compared with Bush, but he was no less argumentative than the more heated president. The Republican campaign said Kerry looked haughty, and Bush aides counted the Democrat's negative facial expressions.
The third and final debate will be held on Wednesday in Tempe, Arizona, with the focus on domestic issues.
Also See Story:
Testy Bush ramps up the aggression
RSS