Bush and Kerry try their luck in Vegas

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. — President Bush and Sen. John Kerry stormed back onto the campaign trail on Thursday, with each side saying that the series of presidential debates had left the race a tie, despite the hundreds of millions of dollars spent and nearly a year of campaigning.

With 19 days left to go, the candidates broke camp from their final debate Wednesday in Tempe, Ariz., and flew to Las Vegas, where they appeared an hour and a half apart to trade attacks and counterattacks in one of the nation's swing states.

Bush continued to deride Kerry as an out-of-touch liberal with a pedestrian record who would hand America's national security decisions over to other nations. "He can run from his record, but he can't hide," Bush said in what has become the latest mantra of his campaign at a Las Vegas sports arena.

Kerry, sounding confident after a third debate Democrats believe he won handily, scoffed at what he called Bush's "excuses" for economic problems and his "false attacks" on his record. With Bush across town borrowing from the boxer Joe Louis' line about running but not hiding, Kerry fired back with Muhammad Ali's memorable taunt to George Foreman.

"George, is that all you've got?" Kerry said. "And so, I say to you, Mr. President: After four years of lost jobs, after four years of families losing health coverage, after four years of falling incomes, is that all you've got? After four years of rising gas prices, rising health-care costs and squeezed families, is that all you've got? After a campaign filled with excuses to justify your record and a campaign of false attacks on me, is that all you've got?"

The president held fast to his position that the debates had given voters a distinct choice. "All three debates clarified the differences in our records, our approaches and our plans for the future," Bush said at the arena, where thousands of screaming Republican supporters treated him like a rock star. "I'm proud of my record. My opponent seemed to want to avoid talking about his."

The president, in a favorite refrain, accused Kerry of arguing that America should seek approval from other nations through a "global test" before acting in its own defense.