Kerry campaign questions Bush's lack of Ohio visits

Bush advisers say the absence was because of a scheduling problem.
COMBINED DISPATCHES
CLEVELAND -- After a nearly three-week absence that sparked debate about his prospects in Ohio, President Bush plans to visit the must-win battleground state today in hopes of quieting the campaign stir.
"I don't know what reason Bush has for not coming to Ohio in nearly three weeks, but it can't be a good one," said Jennifer Palmieri, spokeswoman for Bush rival Sen. John Kerry.
"Either he is taking Ohio voters' support for granted or he has decided that trips here are a bad idea because they just remind voters of his poor economic record in Ohio."
Wrong on both counts, replied Bush's spokesman.
"We feel very confident about our campaign in Ohio. Our organization there is top-notch," said Kevin Madden.
"We will continue to outwork and overwhelm John Kerry's campaign and his negative message every day until Nov. 2."
Cited scheduling problem
Separating fact from campaign claims is impossible, but senior Bush advisers said the absence was a scheduling glitch and not a political tactic. The officials said the president plans to hit every media market in Ohio before Election Day, starting with today's visit to swing-voting Canton.
While public polls show the race tight in Ohio, the president's advisers say private surveys lead them to believe that Bush is in slightly better shape. They took advantage of the cushion to focus on other battlegrounds such as Florida, Iowa and Wisconsin, aides said, insisting that they wanted to wait until the last week of the election to feature Bush in front of big Ohio crowds.
Bush and Kerry revived their debate over domestic issues Thursday, with the incumbent proposing expanded personal accounts for health care while the challenger called for a greater national investment in science and technology.
Bush, making the 40th trip of his presidency to Pennsylvania, also paid a visit to Cardinal Justin Rigali, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia, as his campaign continued a religious-based outreach.
Taking issue
Bush, appearing at a rally in southeastern Pennsylvania, took issue with Kerry's plans to expand affordable health care through tax breaks for businesses. The president said the Democrat's proposals would result in businesses dropping health insurance for workers, put more burden on the government's Medicaid program and threaten the future and success of the nation's private-run health care system.
Kerry criticized Bush for a conservative moral doctrine that interferes with medical achievement and scientific advancement.
"George Bush has literally turned his back on the spirit of exploration and discovery," said Kerry, who was accompanied to Columbus by a former Senate colleague from Ohio, John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. Kerry accused Bush of holding "an extreme political agenda that slows instead of advances science."
Kerry linked the need for further investment in science and technology to its effects on job creation and helping to boost the middle class, a central theme of his campaign in the final days toward the election.
Kerry maintained Bush has proposed cuts in federal research funding and has sided too much with special interests who try to block technological advancements.