Us presidential election 2004

[shinRaiden 0]

Quote[/b] ]Below is the text of a letter sent by Bush-Cheney '04 Campaign Chairman Governor Marc Racicot to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney via fax at 10:15 a.m. today.

-----------------------------------------------------

Quote[/b] ]

Mr. John Sweeney

President

AFL-CIO

815 16th Street, N.W.

Washington, DC 20006

October 11, 2004

Dear Mr. Sweeney:

Over the past several weeks, acts of violence and vandalism have occurred at Republican and Bush-Cheney campaign headquarters across the country. In addition to the injuries, property damage and disruption associated with these acts, these events have created a threatening and intimidating atmosphere abhorrent to our democratic process.

On October 5th, according to news reports, witnesses, police reports and admissions of your members, the AFL-CIO, as part of a national strategy, protested at more than a dozen of our campaign and party headquarters across the country. In many locations, the protestors attempted to enter, or entered, campaign or party facilities. As one protestor said, "Actually, we're storming into an office." In Orlando, Florida, injuries and damage were sustained. Protestors forced their way into the facility, fracturing the arm of one staffer, and vandalized the office. In Michigan, protestors entered a headquarters and engaged in activities apparently intended to disrupt volunteers trying to make phone calls.

Protests by your organization come on the heels of several other incidents at Bush-Cheney '04 offices around the country, including a break-in at our Seattle office where laptop computers were stolen from the Washington State Bush-Cheney ’04 executive director and the state Republican Party 72-hour director. Just last night in Canton, Ohio, a Bush-Cheney '04 staffer was forced to lock herself in an office while another break-in was in progress. The facility was seriously damaged and property was stolen. Additionally, gun shots have been fired into Bush-Cheney '04 offices in West Virginia, Florida and Tennessee, windows broken in West Virginia and campaign staffers threatened. In Wisconsin, a supporter of the President had a swastika burned into his front yard simply because he had a Bush-Cheney '04 lawn sign. We urge your support in helping us ensure the safety of all individuals working on our campaign and others as we are making every effort to secure the safety of all participants in the political process.

I hope you will put an end to protest activities that have led to injuries, property damage, vandalism and voter intimidation. We will hold you and your organization accountable for the actions of your members and urge you to immediately discontinue any coordinated protest efforts that result in damage to our facilities, or injury to people who may hold different political views than your members, but who share an equal right to be involved in the political process without suffering violence, intimidation and threats.

Respectfully,

Gov. Marc Racicot, Bush-Cheney '04 Campaign Chairman

We continue to have reports of signs spray painted with swastikas all around the Seattle area, I have been aggressively tailgated and repeatedly flipped off in traffic on several occasions for having one Bush Cheney side in the rear window of my car, and reports continue to come in of illegal business and workplace discrimination and harrassment; and these incidents are spreading out further into the remote and rural areas.

While the AFL-CIO and other unions may not be coordinating some of these criminal actions, they and the Democratic party have done nothing to curb, and instead have quietly sympathized with the divisive hate-mongering and rhetoric. But supporting candidates with ties to groups such as the Anti-WTO insurrectionists, encouraging loose cannons like Howard Dean and Al Gore to deliberately polarize the population instead of steering towards even some sense of unifying diplomacy, they are feeding a psycological cancer that will destroy the structure of the United States, regardless of whether Kerry wins or loses.

If you witness any such criminal behavior, contact your local police department, then submit a report to the Bush/Cheney victims of voter intimidation hotline at 1-888-303-7125. Racially or culturally or other socially discriminating criminal actions may qualify for additional hate crimes investigation at the determination of the police department. Additional assistance for workplace harrassment can be found by contacting the Equal Opportunity Employment office of your state dept.'s of Labor. If you are experiencing illegal internal union political pressure, contact the Labor Relations board of your state dept. of labor.

[m21man 0]

Hold the presses, Kerry's got some experience in tax dodging too:

Quote[/b] ]Middle Class Said To Pay Higher Tax Rate Than Heinz Kerry And Kerry

Mon Oct 11 2004 10:22:17 ET

Stephen Moore, president of the Club for Growth, writes in the WALL STREET JOURNAL on Monday: "According to the Kerrys' own tax records, and they have not released all of them, the couple had a combined income of $6.8 million in income last year and paid $725,000 in income taxes. That means their effective tax rate was a whopping 12.8%.... "Under the current tax system the middle class pays far more than the Kerry tax rate. In fact, the average federal tax rate -- combined payroll and income tax -- for a middle-class family is closer to 20% or more. George W. and Laura Bush, who had an income one- tenth of the Kerrys', paid a tax rate of 30%. ...

"Here is the man who finds clever ways to reduce his own tax liability while voting for higher taxes on the middle class dozens of times in his Senate career. He even voted against the Bush tax cut that saves each middle-class family about $1,000." The Kerrys "have unwittingly made the case for what George W. Bush says he wants to do: radically simplify and flatten out the tax code. ... So before John Kerry is given the opportunity to raise taxes again on American workers, shouldn't he and Teresa at least pay their fair share?"

And more:

Documents (Boston Globe)

[Akira 0]

report to the Bush/Cheney victims of voter intimidation hotline at 1-888-303-7125. Racially or culturally or other socially discriminating criminal actions may qualify for additional hate crimes investigation at the determination of the police department.

oh jesus h. christ gimme a break

[Akira 0]

Anti-Kerry Documentary To Air

Quote[/b] ]Anti-Kerry film to air in prime-time

Nation's largest TV chain orders all 62 stations to show movie without commercials next week.

October 11, 2004: 1:24 PM EDT

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of the largest chain of television stations in the nation, plans to air a documentary that accuses Sen. John Kerry of betraying American prisoners during the Vietnam War, a newspaper reported Monday.

The network has ordered all 62 of its stations to air "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" without commercials in prime-time next week, the Washington Post said, just two weeks before the Nov. 2 election.

Sinclair's television group, which includes affiliates of all the major networks, reaches nearly a quarter of all U.S. television households, according to the company's Web site. But the affiliates owned by the major television networks reach a larger percentage of U.S. homes because they are in the largest markets.

A dozen of Sinclair's stations are in the critical swing states of Ohio, Florida, Iowa and Wisconsin.

The company made news in April when it ordered seven of its ABC-affiliated stations not to air a "Nightline" segment that featured a reading of the names of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq; a Sinclair executive called that broadcast "contrary to the public interest."

Calls to Sinclair by CNN/Money were not immediately returned Monday.

Media Matters for America, a liberal watchdog group, has written a letter to Sinclair asking the company to cancel reported plans to air the film between now and the Nov. 2 election, the group said in a statement.

"Sinclair's plan to air anti-Kerry propaganda before the election is an abuse of the public airwaves for what appears to be partisan political purposes," Media Matters CEO David Brock said in the letter.

The letter warned Sinclair that its plan could constitute a violation of broadcast regulations requiring equal time for political candidates, as well as the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, the group said.

Sinclair's top executives include members of the controlling Smith family, who have been strong financial supporters of President Bush's campaign, the Post said in its report.

Sinclair executives have given nearly $68,000 in political contributions, 97 percent of it going to Republicans, since the beginning of the year, according to the Los Angeles Times.

According to the report, "Stolen Honor" focuses on Kerry's antiwar testimony to Congress in 1971 and its effect on American POWs in Vietnam, and was produced independently of Sinclair.

The anti-Kerry film states that the senator's testimony hurt the American war effort and undercut morale among the troops.

Ah yes. Nothing like media objectivity.

[EiZei 0]

Ah yes. Nothing like media objectivity.

Hooray for liberal media.

[theavonlady 2]

Nothing like media objectivity.

But of course there's something like it!

Quote[/b] ]'Fahrenheit 9/11' Team Seeks Election-Eve Pay-TV

Sat Oct 9, 3:14 PM ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Filmmaker Michael Moore and the distributors behind "Fahrenheit 9/11" are in talks to bring his anti-Bush documentary to pay-per-view television on the eve of the U.S. presidential election, a source in Moore's camp said on Friday.

The plan under discussion would present the movie as part of a three-hour telecast titled "The Michael Moore Pre-Election Special," carried by pay-TV distributor iN Demand Networks, said a source close to the Fellowship Adventure Group, which holds rights to the film.

So, relax! Every dog has his day.

[Supah 0]

We continue to have reports of signs spray painted with swastikas all around the Seattle area, I have been aggressively tailgated and repeatedly flipped off in traffic on several occasions for having one Bush Cheney side in the rear window of my car, and reports continue to come in of illegal business and workplace discrimination and harrassment; and these incidents are spreading out further into the remote and rural areas.

While the AFL-CIO and other unions may not be coordinating some of these criminal actions, they and the Democratic party have done nothing to curb, and instead have quietly sympathized with the divisive hate-mongering and rhetoric. But supporting candidates with ties to groups such as the Anti-WTO insurrectionists, encouraging loose cannons like Howard Dean and Al Gore to deliberately polarize the population instead of steering towards even some sense of unifying diplomacy, they are feeding a psycological cancer that will destroy the structure of the United States, regardless of whether Kerry wins or loses.

If you witness any such criminal behavior, contact your local police department, then submit a report to the Bush/Cheney victims of voter intimidation hotline at 1-888-303-7125. Racially or culturally or other socially discriminating criminal actions may qualify for additional hate crimes investigation at the determination of the police department. Additional assistance for workplace harrassment can be found by contacting the Equal Opportunity Employment office of your state dept.'s of Labor. If you are experiencing illegal internal union political pressure, contact the Labor Relations board of your state dept. of labor.

So actually there are is no real evidence of the unions involvement in this but you guys just decided to blame them? You are attacking Dean and Gore for not endorsing Bush, but speaking their mind and saying they oppose him and his policies? What they said was no lie. Ever stop to think that bush is heavily despised even by your countrymen and they are merely showing their despise of him? Or is that abhorent to the sort of democracy Bush is bringing to the third world? Should people just shut up and vote bush and not show opposition? The opposition is giving you a (Fair) fight and the GOP is whining like babies, there is no involvement from them in the vandalisme and I am sure they dont think it is right either. These guys aren't Nixon (oh btw what party was he from again?) Speak about uniting america while your presidents simplistic views and a war based on lies has devided the world .... it's almost funny

[billybob2002 0]

Quote[/b] ]oh jesus h. christ gimme a break

Only Dems. can do it...

[billybob2002 0]

Quote[/b] ]But of course there's something like it!

Michael is mad that his ads for the F9/11 dvd are not being aired on regular television but on cable... at least in not my area...

[billybob2002 0]

Quote[/b] ] The opposition is giving you a (Fair) fight and the GOP is whining like babies, there is no involvement from them in the vandalisme and I am sure they dont think it is right either. These guys aren't Nixon (oh btw what party was he from again?) Speak about uniting america while your presidents simplistic views and a war based on lies has devided the world .... it's almost funny

erm....ANOTHER ONE....

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html....11.html

Quote[/b] ]

President Bush's campaign office in Spokane burglarized, vandalized

Offices that house President Bush's re-election campaign in Spokane were broken into and vandalized last night, the latest in a string of crimes at Republican offices across the country.

Workers arriving this morning found a hole smashed through the wall from an adjacent, vacant office. Bush campaign officials say a small amount of petty cash is missing and a computer and television had been moved and left near the hole.

"They must have gotten spooked because they ultimately left the computer and TV," said Bill Hyslop, the campaign's chairman for the Fifth Congressional District.

The computer and the TV had recently arrived in Spokane and the computer was loaded with information from the Republican get-out-the vote program.

Spokane police responded this morning and took the computer's monitor and the TV, Hyslop said.

"We obviously have no idea who did this and are not going to cast aspersions," said Hyslop, who served as U.S. attorney in Spokane under President George H.W. Bush.

In Bellevue last week , computers that stored the Republican get-out-the-vote database were stolen in a burglary at the Republican headquarters there . Bush campaign officials believe the break - ins are part of a broader attack on the president's re-election offices around the country, including a burglary in Canton, Ohio, last night, gun shots fired in West Virginia, Florida and Tennessee and union protestors storming offices in three Florida cities and Minneapolis.

There are no suspects in the burglaries or shootings and no injuries were reported.

Because the protests at campaign offices that were stormed were part of organized union demonstrations, Bush campaign chairman Marc Racicot wrote a letter today to AFL-CIO President John Sweeney asking him to call off any future protests.

"In addition to the injuries, property damage and disruption associated with these acts, these events have created a threatening and intimidating atmosphere abhorrent to our democratic process," Racicot wrote.

The Spokane building leased by the state Republican party and serves as the area office for party operations as well as the campaign for the President and other Republican candidates.

Hyslop said that a security guard checked the building at about 6 a.m. today and did not report any disturbance.

But when construction crews working on the adjacent office arrived within 30 minutes later, they noticed the back door of the adjacent office had been pried open from an alleyway.

They also discovered that a hole appeared to have been kicked through the drywall separating the vacant space from the Bush offices. The computer and TV were found near the hole.

[Akira 0]

Quote[/b] ]Michael is mad that his ads for the F9/11 dvd are not being aired on regular television but on cable... at least in not my area...

Big deal.

Quote[/b] ]Only Dems. can do it...

I was refering to teh stupid ass hotline and attempt to make this vandalizim into a hate crime of some sort. That is why I quoted that part.

Quote[/b] ]erm....ANOTHER ONE....

Seems to me its Washington having the trouble...

Quote[/b] ]So, relax! Every dog has his day.

That is PAY-per view. Sinclair is ORDERING its network affiliates to play the documentary during prime time, giving far more possible viewership. It is indeed NOT equal. Also you will notice that this media group has given 97% of its political contributions to the Republicans. Networks are not meant to be propoganda mouth pieces.

[Blake 0]

I wonder if Bush would so anti-abortion or anti-stemcell if one of his daughters got raped or paralyzed from neck down. Would not any decent parent do everything possible to make your child possibly walk again? Would not anything less than that make you cruel, ignorent and selfish bastard?

But hey, It's not affecting him so lets hide head in the sand. I urge him to meet people facing such tragedies, smile at them and say 'nope'. Or better, say that to those soldiers who are paralyzed in Iraq because of the war he started that the utmost is really not done to make them walk again because he believes it's baaaaad....

That's what I hate about him, he seems completely unable to put himself in other people's positions.

[walker 0]

Hi shinRaiden

With the degree to which George Bush Junior has divided America in order to rule it one must expect a little bit of flipping the bird to you if you are an avowed suporter of TBA especialy as you already stated you live in a Democratic strong hold.

However if America has been so divided by TBA that the electoral process is in danger clearly there is all the more need for outside monitors from the UN and and international election monitor groups. I would suggest you request them in your state if they are that bad. I find it hard to believe and somewhat shocking that America has fallen that far under one term of TBA that elections cannot be held in a secure way.

Clearly crimes of any kind should be reported to the police and where they impinge on the political process they need to be reported to the proper authorites.

If you live in Florida, the Voter Fraud Hotline might come in handy: 877-868-3737 there are voter Fraud hotlines in other states use them.

However bunging up the time of police with petty 'he gave me the finger' reports and groundless accusations of political shenanigans just slows down the criminal investigation process and wastes valuable police time. You may remember your earlier accusation that some computers were stolen by democrats and I remind you what the police said about the matter.

Quote[/b] ]Bellevue police confirmed the burglary Friday afternoon but offered no support for Vance's claims about motive.

"No evidence at the scene indicated this was politically motivated," police spokeswoman Jessamyn Poling said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news....y_x.htm

On a more serious note creating a false report as this Republican did is a serious matter. As reported in USA Today The Los Angeles Times was the subject of a concerted effort by Republicans to place an article similar to that that was placed with Dan Rather so they could then scotch it. By Luck The Los Angeles Times staff spoted the NeoConMens Con.

Quote[/b] ]Paper received e-mails assessing debate results before it began

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Times received more than 1,000 e-mails about the vice presidential debate, but about three dozen particularly caught the editors' attention.

The e-mails were all sent Tuesday, before the 6 p.m. debate began, but they lauded Democratic Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards' performance. They criticized Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, and some warned against the GOP's post-debate spin.

But when the Times reached one of the writers, the man said he was a registered Republican and that he sent the e-mail as a test "just to see if we were checking," the newspaper reported Thursday.

Andrew Schoppe, who signed his name as Andy Taylor of Venice in an e-mail sent at 5:33 p.m. Tuesday, told the Times "he was 'very, very pleased' that we hadn't fallen for his prank."

The Times was not immediately able to reach the authors of the other e-mails.

Three of the e-mails were printed in the paper's op-ed section.

In his e-mail, Schoppe wrote, "John Edward was amaezeing!" adding, "I know the GOP will start to spin this as soon as they can..."

Both campaigns on Tuesday urged supporters to vote in online polls, conducted by most major networks after the debate, as well as to e-mail, write letters to newspaper editors and spread the word about their candidate's victory.

In letters sent Tuesday, Republicans asked supporters to defeat the "Kerry campaign spin machine."

http://www.usatoday.com/news....s_x.htm

The similarity to what happened to Dan Rather is remarkable.

Kind Regards Walker

[shinRaiden 0]

Hey, I was going to post that... the Seattle Times is not by any stretch of the imagination even a moderate publication, but when their reporter (not a wire service) is allowed to write stuff like

Quote[/b] ]...the latest in a string of crimes at Republican offices across the country.

you know that there is a serious problem going on.

And for giving you a break, I don't presume that it was a bunch of buddists drawing manjas of peace on those signs. Seriously, what do you thing a swastika is supposed to mean, and what message is it trying to convey? Why is it okay to paint one on a political sign for the current sitting legal officers of the land and not okay to go paint one on my neighbor's house? So you plan to excuse it only as voter discouragement, not intimidation?

Of course I'm not going to call a civil rights abuse hotline for somebody flipping me off. That's for investigations of serious criminal activity, not casual conversation. Furthermore, I mentioned that actual event as an example of something I had personally experienced, in addition to the more serious charges made elsewhere.

What about the hand-wringing Viacom's board of directors had after their CEO said that despite his personal preference for Kerry, he was inclined to vote for bush on the basis of his economic policy and business-friendly attitude?

As for the union involvement in rioting and incitement to riot, they stay just clear enough in the grey area to avoid undue exposure, while maintaining their aggressive reputation. As evidenced by the posting I made a few pages back about State Rep. candidate Bob Hasegawa, and further documented elsewhere in the University of Washington's WTO riots historical documentation project (enthusiastically supportive of the obstruction of free speech, free assembly, due process, etc), the unions, Seattle city administration, and Seattle WTO organizers met with many of the anarchists and other protesters and were made aware of their law-breaking intent.

The understanding was that as the politicial officials and local leadership were in sympathy with the protesters, that so long as they didn't make too big a scene the city of Seattle would quietly ignore their activities. The sheriff was univited from the planning meetings when he tried to blow the whistle on this incestous behaviour, and the state patrol and national guard was not on backup status.

Only when AG Janet Reno called the gov. and demanded to know why SecState Madeline Albright's car was under attack, threatened to cancel Pres. Clinton's visit, and uninvited the gov. and the mayor from the podium and face-time did they get a clue, but due to a lack of supplies and radio breakdowns the police continued to be pushed back. The situation was not reversed until the sheriff rolled into town uninvited, deputized the whole city PD, and started a block-by-block push to secure the downtown corridor.

Bob Hasegawa and other influential members of the regional labor leadership still continue to tout that event as one of the greatest labor activities in recent history. Bob Hasegawa also states that what they planned and did was fully known beforehand to AFL-CIO president John Sweeny, the subject of the previously posted fax.

[shinRaiden 0]

That's nothing more than troll spam. Goes both ways. The fact that the LA Times printed an article about it means that either they had no other news to print, were trying to cover their own rear end for falling for it, or thought they were on to the latest mass mind-melding ever. Same goes for all the seminar callers into talk radio that say "I've been a life-long republican but..." and then can't name their precinct or district chair from any time within that same so-called life. When I buy a newspaper, I'm just paying for some one to deliver a daily fresh roll of paper to line the bird cage or start a fire with. Glossies sometimes even have sparkles.

[Bernadotte 0]

<span style='font-size:9pt;line-height:100%'>As evidenced by the posting I made a few pages back about State Rep. candidate Bob Hasegawa, and further documented elsewhere in the University of Washington's WTO riots historical documentation project (enthusiastically supportive of the obstruction of free speech, free assembly, due process, etc), the unions, Seattle city administration, and Seattle WTO organizers met with many of the anarchists and other protesters and were made aware of their law-breaking intent.</span>

Didn't your English teacher warn you against run-on sentences.  I counted more than 80 words.  

[walker 0]

Hi all

In a blow to the GOP campaign argument that the Iraq war has made the world safer, the latest poll shows only three in ten US citizens believe George Bush Junior and 52% of US citizens believe the Iraq war has made the US more prone to terrorist attack CNN reports.

Quote[/b] ]More than half of those in the United States, 52 percent, believe the Iraq war has increased the threat of terrorism, while three in 10 in the United States think it has decreased the threat -- a view promoted by President Bush.

"In the context of the presidential campaign in the United States, this is undeniably a blow for George W. Bush, since it shows that a majority of Americans don't agree with the main justification for his policy in Iraq," said Gilles Corman,

http://edition.cnn.com/2004....ex.html

The poll also reveals the same attitudes among ofther coalition countries.

Clearly John F. Kerry's message that America needs to gain allies in the war on terror and fight the right enemies not the fantasy ones has got across to US voters.

Kind Regards Walker

[Bernadotte 0]

Personally, I hope that Kerry does not take a clear lead in the polls until at least next week because leading has always generated more supporter complacency than trailing.  In a few days, it will be too late to register to vote in over half the states.  Until then, I don't mind if Bush supporters don't feel as much urgency about being registered as Kerry supporters.

[ralphwiggum 6]

Hold the presses, Kerry's got some experience in tax dodging too:

Quote[/b] ]Middle Class Said To Pay Higher Tax Rate Than Heinz Kerry And Kerry

Mon Oct 11 2004 10:22:17 ET

Stephen Moore, president of the Club for Growth, writes in the WALL STREET JOURNAL on Monday: "According to the Kerrys' own tax records, and they have not released all of them, the couple had a combined income of $6.8 million in income last year and paid $725,000 in income taxes. That means their effective tax rate was a whopping 12.8%.... "Under the current tax system the middle class pays far more than the Kerry tax rate. In fact, the average federal tax rate -- combined payroll and income tax -- for a middle-class family is closer to 20% or more. George W. and Laura Bush, who had an income one- tenth of the Kerrys', paid a tax rate of 30%. ...

"Here is the man who finds clever ways to reduce his own tax liability while voting for higher taxes on the middle class dozens of times in his Senate career. He even voted against the Bush tax cut that saves each middle-class family about $1,000." The Kerrys "have unwittingly made the case for what George W. Bush says he wants to do: radically simplify and flatten out the tax code. ... So before John Kerry is given the opportunity to raise taxes again on American workers, shouldn't he and Teresa at least pay their fair share?"

And more:

Documents (Boston Globe)

and someone from some pages ago said that riches pay more tax even in percentage....

[Blake 0]

A prime example how the rich can avoid taxes under current system by various means when you own companies, get stock options etc. The Kerry couple ain't stupid, why would he pay more taxes than it is legally necessary? That doesn't prevent him from making changes to the system.

I figure the Bush income listed in the article probably constitutes mainly from President's salary where there's little room to avoid taxes, unlike there is for the rich company owners and stock holders.

The article just proves Kerry's point actually. And I bet there are lot of people paying much less tax from similiar income than Kerry.

[Bernadotte 0]

Site hacked. Look here.

Indeed:

Quote[/b] ]The site has been subjected to a full-scale, well-organized, massive attack with the clear intention to bring it down. The attackers have tried repeatedly to break in, but the server is a rock-solid Linux system which has stood up to everything they threw at it and hasn't crashed since I got it in May.

[DanAK47 1]

Quote[/b] ]The article just proves Kerry's point actually

It also makes him a hypocrite.

[billybob2002 0]

Quote[/b] ]The site has been subjected to a full-scale, well-organized, massive attack with the clear intention to bring it down. The attackers have tried repeatedly to break in, but the server is a rock-solid Linux system which has stood up to everything they threw at it and hasn't crashed since I got it in May.

hehehe....Kerry 538 and Bush 0....

[billybob2002 0]

No lead for you, Kerry!!!

http://www.reuters.com/newsArt....6476783

Quote[/b] ]John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush bounced back into a tie with Democratic challenger John Kerry one day before their final debate, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Tuesday.

Bush gained three points on the Massachusetts senator to move into a 45-45 percent dead heat in the latest three-day tracking poll of the White House campaign.

The focus of the tight race now turns to Wednesday's pivotal final debate in Tempe, Arizona, with both candidates hoping to take advantage of their last chance to court a national television audience of likely voters.

"A close race got closer," pollster John Zogby said. "I am not expecting anyone to pull away in this one -- at least not yet."

Seven percent of likely voters are still undecided three weeks before the Nov. 2 election. Only 35 percent of undecided voters give Bush a positive job rating, and 50 percent give him a negative rating.

Bush holds solid leads among married voters, military families, investors and those living in states he won in the 2000 race against Democrat Al Gore. Kerry holds leads over Bush among single voters, moderate voters, union voters and those living in states won by Gore.

Newly registered voters lean toward Kerry by 49-42 percent, while those who have already voted give a slight edge to Bush by 48-43 percent.

The poll of 1,223 likely voters was taken Saturday through Monday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points. The rolling poll will continue through Nov. 1 -- the day before the election.

A tracking poll combines the results of three consecutive nights of polling, then drops the first night's results each time a new night is added. It allows pollsters to record shifts in voter sentiment as they happen.

This was the first poll conducted entirely after Friday's debate, when Bush and Kerry sniped at each other over Iraq, jobs and taxes.

Kerry continues to lead Bush among voters who view the economy, education and the war in Iraq as the top issue, while Bush holds a huge 71-25 percent lead among those who cite the war on terror as their top issue.

The poll found 49 percent of voters thought the United States was headed in the wrong direction and 45 percent thought it was headed in the right direction.

It also showed independent candidate Ralph Nader, blamed by some Democrats for drawing enough votes from Al Gore to cost him the election in 2000, earning the support of 1.6 percent of likely voters.

[Bernadotte 0]

Quote[/b] ]The article just proves Kerry's point actually

It also makes him a hypocrite.

How do you figure?

Kerry telling it like it is at the last debate:

Quote[/b] ]Now, for the people earning more than $200,000 a year, you're going to see a rollback to the level we were at with Bill Clinton, when people made a lot of money.  And looking around here, at this group here, I suspect there are only three people here who are going to be affected: the president, me, and, Charlie, I'm sorry, you too.

Clinton telling it like it is at the DNC:

Quote[/b] ]For the first time when America was in a war footing in our whole history, they gave two huge tax cuts, nearly half of which went to the top 1% of us.  Now, I'm in that group for the first time in my life.

And you might remember that when I was in office, on occasion, the Republicans were kind of mean to me.  But as soon as I got out and made money, I became part of the most important group in the world to them. It was amazing. I never thought I'd be so well cared for by the president and the Republicans in Congress. I almost sent them a thank you note for my tax cuts until I realized that the rest of you were paying the bill for it. And then I thought better of it.