WASHINGTON, July 30 (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and his Democratic rival, Senator John Kerry, on Friday raced to key states up for grabs in the November election as the fight for the White House kicked into high gear.
After a week spent out of sight on his Texas ranch, Bush returned to his bid for a second four-year term with gusto, launching a two-day trip through four states with a warning that Kerry has "the wrong medicine" for the country.
"I am asking for four more years to make our country safer, to make the economy stronger, to make our future better and brighter for every single citizen," Bush told a cheering crowd in Springfield, Missouri.
Kerry, a day after triumphantly accepting his party's nomination, opened a two-week, 21-state campaign blitz with a relentless assault on the president's credibility over the war in Iraq and his handling of the US economy.
"We're going to change that around. Help is on the way for the average person in this country," he said, running mate John Edwards at his side. "We're going to restore trust and credibility to the White House."
National opinion polls have shown Kerry running neck and neck with Bush, who has seen his approval ratings slide as more and more Americans question whether the invasion of Iraq was worth the cost in lives.
But the convention gave some immediate help to the senator, who led Bush 48-43 in a Zogby America poll released on Friday.
Kerry was tired but excited after the four-day Democratic convention, which targeted swing voters with appeals aimed at the middle-class and stoked party faithful with a hearty dose of attacks on Bush's leadership.
"I'm longing to have my head hit a pillow, ladies and gentlemen," Kerry said as he and Edwards opened a 15-day "Believe in America" tour, covering 5,600 kilometers (3,500 miles) and 21 states between them.
The cross-country travels will give Kerry, 60, a chance to talk about domestic issues, after he lambasted Bush on Thursday night over the loss of US jobs, rising health-care costs and lagging educational opportunities.
"America can do better," Kerry told the convention in a 45-minute speech, test-driving his main slogan for the rest of the campaign: "Help is on the way."
Bush, who aides said did not watch the address, shrugged off the Democrats' "clever speeches," declaring he had made progress in battling terror and helping the US economy while taking a slap at what he termed his rival's meager record.
"After 19 years in the United States Senate, my opponent has had thousands of votes, but very few signature achievements," he said. "My opponent has good intentions, but intentions do not always translate to results."
Echoing a common Republican charge against Kerry, Bush said he was better suited to keep the United States safe from attacks like the terrorist strikes of September 11, 2001, which transformed his presidency.
"I have a clear vision on how to win the war on terror and bring peace to the world," he said. "Give me four more years, and America will continue to march toward peace and better prosperity."
Bush will visit the battleground states of Missouri, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania on Friday and Saturday. In the 2000 election, Bush narrowly won Missouri and Ohio while his Democratic opponent Al Gore took Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Kerry used the convention to present himself as a battle-tested veteran with the brains and heart to lead, playing off tales of his medals-winning heroism from the Vietnam war he came to oppose as well as the failure to find the weapons of mass destruction Bush made central to the case for war in Iraq.
"I will be a commander in chief who will never mislead us into war," Kerry said in what was the most important speech of his political life thus far. "As president, I will restore trust and credibility to the White House."
Kerry's speech drew mixed reviews from the political press, where some noted that his only prescription for handling the occupation of Iraq was to draw in more US allies.
"Though Mr. Kerry spoke confidently and eloquently, his speech was a disappointment," said The Washington Post, citing the decision not to address the question of whether, as president, he would have invaded Iraq.
Still, the senator defiantly confronted Republican charges that the senator flip-flops on key issues -- allegations that have bloodied the Democratic candidate.
"There are those who criticize me for seeing complexities. And I do because some issues just aren't all that simple. Saying there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq doesn't make it so," said Kerry.
"Let there be no mistake," he said. "I will never hesitate to use force when it is required. I will never give any nation or international institution a veto over our national security."
The Republican president will also spend most of August visiting as many distant corners of the United States as he can before his party's convention starts in New York on August 30.
Because of the growing demands of the campaign, Bush will only spend a few days at his ranch at Crawford, Texas for his annual holiday.