TEMPE, United States (AFP) - US President George W. Bush and Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry battled over Iraq, terrorism, health care, and jobs, hoping their final debate would break their deadlocked race.
Face to face for the last time before the November 2 election, Bush charged Kerry was weak on terrorism; favored higher taxes and government-run health care; and quipped the senator sat on "the far-left bank" of US politics.
Kerry countered that the president had let Osama bin Laden slip away because of his focus on Iraq; abandoned the US middle class in favor of cutting taxes on the richest Americans; and short-changed efforts to secure US borders.
From the very first question, the candidates battled on arguably the most important issue of the 2004 election: Who would be more successful in leading the war on terrorism Bush declared after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The president "rushed us into a war" in Iraq, and "pushed alliances away," said the senator from Massachusetts, who warned: "We are not as safe as we ought to be."
"My opponent just this weekend talked about how terrorism could be reduced to a 'nuisance,' comparing it to prostitution, illegal gambling," Bush said, quoting a Kerry interview. "That attitude and that point of view is dangerous."
The Democrat accused Bush of letting Osama bin Laden slip away and pointed to Bush's comments six months later that he was not concerned about the Al-Qaeda leader's fate.
"Gosh, I just don't think I ever said I'm not worried about Osama bin Laden. It's kind of one of those exaggerations," said Bush, who has repeatedly accused Kerry of being fickle and unreliable on national security issues.
Within moments, the Democrat's campaign had sent reporters a quotation from a March 13, 2002 press conference in which the president said of bin Laden: "I truly am not that concerned about him."
Bush attacked Kerry for voting for tax increases and against tax cuts while backing government spending increases, and concluded: "You know, there's a mainstream in American politics -- and you sit right on the far-left bank."
In a response that drew laughter from the crowd, Kerry likened Bush to a television series mafia boss, saying: "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."
The two collided on abortion, with Kerry calling it a choice "between a woman, God and her doctor" and Bush vowing to promote "a culture of life."
On the divisive issue of gay marriage, Bush said "consenting adults can live the way they want to live" but again endorsed a constitutional amendment forbidding homosexuals to marry.
"The president and I share the belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. I believe that," said Kerry, who restated his opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment.
National polls have shown the two candidates running neck and neck, with just a handful of battleground states truly up for grabs in the battle to secure the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the White House.
But that could change, with instant polls showing Kerry won the third debate.
Fifty-two percent of those polled by CNN said Kerry came out ahead in Tempe, compared to 39 percent who said the same about Bush.
A survey by ABC News showed Kerry ahead 42 percent to 41 percent, while a CBS News poll gave the Massachusetts senator 39 percent as opposed to 25 percent for Bush and 36 percent called the debate a tie.
Leading US newspapers said Thursday a series of three debates between President George W. Bush and his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, had fulfilled their purpose by helping Americans learn more about both candidates ahead of the November 2 election.
But they criticized the performance of both politicians -- without designating a specific winner of the third and final face-off between the two in Tempe, Arizona, late Wednesday.
"True, both men tried to score cheap shots, and they hewed to their talking points even when their answers didn't quite fit the topic," The New York Times said in an editorial. "But it's hard to believe that anyone who watched with attention didn't come away with a good handle on who John Kerry and George Bush are, what they believe, and how they would approach running the country."