Bush, Kerry grapple over bread-and-butter issues

President Bush and John Kerry battled over domestic issues Wednesday night in the final debate of the 2004 campaign, with the latter chargin...

President Bush and John Kerry battled over domestic issues Wednesday night in the final debate of the 2004 campaign, with the latter charging the president with a record of failure on the economy and health care, and Bush accusing Kerry of a Senate record that is both out of the mainstream and lacking in accomplishment.

Kerry said Bush has allowed the economy to go backward, has turned budget surpluses into deficits and has stood by as millions of Americans have lost their health insurance and jobs. The president tried to parry those attacks by challenging Kerry8217;s record during his 20 years in the Senate, accusing him of repeatedly voting to raise taxes, of failing to do anything significant to reform health care and of favoring health care changes that would greatly enhance the federal government8217;s power.

8216;8216;He8217;s 8230; the only president in 72 years to lose jobs 8212;8212; 1.6 million jobs lost,8217;8217; Kerry said. 8216;8216;He8217;s the only president to have incomes of families go down for the last three years, the only president to see exports go down, the only president to see the lowest level of business investment in our country as it is today.8217;8217;

Amid the exchange of charges and countercharges, Bush and Kerry also played fast and loose with facts and each repeatedly charged the other with distortions and inaccuracies at the debate at Arizona State University moderated by Bob Schieffer of CBS News.

Kerry accused Bush of favouring the wealthy over the middle class with tax cuts and the president warned middle-class voters that a Kerry administration would mean higher taxes not only on the wealthy but on average Americans as well, describing Kerry8217;s talk as 8216;8216;bait and switch8217;8217; politics.

Bush: There8217;s a mainstream in American politics and you sit right on the far left bank
Kerry: Being lectured by the president on fiscal responsibility is a little bit like Tony Soprano talking to me about law and order

8216;8216;You know, there8217;s a mainstream in American politics and you sit right on the far left bank,8217;8217; Bush said. 8216;8216;As a matter of fact, your record is such that Ted Kennedy, your colleague, is the conservative senator from Massachusetts.8217;8217;

Kerry8217;s reply was that 8216;8216;Being lectured by the president on fiscal responsibility is a little bit like Tony Soprano talking to me about law and order in this country,8217;8217; he said.

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In one of the sharpest exchanges, Kerry warned that Bush8217;s plan to allow workers to put a small percentage of their Social Security taxes into private investment accounts is 8216;8216;an invitation to disaster8217;8217; that would cost too much and be too risky. On health care, Bush said an independent study showed that Kerry8217;s plan would cost more than 1 trillion, add 20 million Americans to government health care rolls and lead to lower-quality care. Kerry called Bush8217;s claims inaccurate and said that his health care plan people a choice.

nbsp;	The final word

		nbsp;	The debate was less combative than their first two, but most network polls said Kerry did marginally better 8226; CBS said 39 pc viewers believed Kerry won against 25 pc for Bush 8226; CNN/USA Today/Gallup gave 52 pc to Kerry and 39 pc to Bush 8226; ABC News instant poll said 42 pc thought Kerry won, while 41 pc went for a Bush victory	nbsp;

The candidates greatly disagree on cultural issues, including same-sex marriage, abortion and, to a lesser extent, gun control. In the clearest terms to date, Kerry said he would impose a litmus test on judicial selections to protect abortion rights. , On same-sex marriage, Bush defended his support for a constitutional amendment banning the practice and warned judges were trying to redefine marriage. Bush said he is unsure whether people are born gay. Kerry said he thinks they are. 8216;8216;I think if you were to talk to Dick Cheney8217;s daughter, who is a lesbian, she would tell you that she8217;s being who she was, she8217;s being who she was born as,8217;8217; he said. Agencies report the statement later came in for sharp criticism from the vice-president8217;s wife.

The candidates shared details about their religious faith and how it influences their political views. Kerry, a Catholic, talked more about God and faith than he has in some time, even quoting Scripture twice. Bush was perhaps most passionate and articulate when he talked about faith and family. 8212;LAT-WP