BEIJING, Oct. 22 (Xinhuanet) -- U.S. President George W. Bush and challenger John Kerry accused each other of misjudging the stakes and lacking the leadership to deal with Iraq and terrorism as they campaigned 96 kilometers apart Wednesday in Iowa, a state Bush narrowly lost four years ago.

    ¡°The next commander in chief must lead us to victory in this war and you cannot win a war when you don¡¯t believe you¡¯re fighting one,¡± Bush said in Mason City, a northern Iowa farming community.

    Kerry, campaigning in Waterloo, said Bush failed to grasp what the United States faced in Iraq, where more than 1,100 U.S. soldiers have been killed. ¡°If President Bush cannot recognize the problems in Iraq, he will not fix them. I do recognize them and I will fix them.¡±

    With time running out before the Nov. 2 election, national polls say the race is very close, with some showing a slight advantage for Bush. Polls in key swing states like Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin also show the two candidates running about even.

    Iraq and terrorism dominated the debate Wednesday as Bush focused on Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

    Bush and Kerry were tied at 47 percent each among likely voters in the poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Independent Ralph Nader got the backing of 1 percent.

    The poll found that seven in 10 believe replacing Bush with Kerry while the United States is threatened by terrorism is a risk, including more than four in 10 who say it¡¯s a major risk. A third of swing voters believe switching leadership would be a ¡°major risk.¡±

    Voter approval for Bush has slipped in the Pew poll in several areas over the last month, notably handling terrorism, with about half, 49 percent, now approving ¡ª compared to 62 percent who approved of Bush on this issue in September. Bush still leads Kerry on who would do the better job on terrorism.

    Bush led Kerry, 48 percent to 41 percent, on which candidate would use better judgment in a crisis. (SD-Agencies)

(Shenzhen Daily)