Bush accuses Kerry of "scare tactics"

ST PETERSBURG, United States (AFP) - US President George W. Bush told voters in the key state of Florida that Democratic rival John Kerry was "not prepared and equipped" to lead the war on terrorism.
Flanked by his brother Jeb Bush, the state's governor, Bush also told supporters packed into a baseball stadium for a morning rally that Kerry's proposals amounted to "a litany of complaints and old-style scare tactics."
"With your help on November 2, the people of America will reject the politics of fear and vote for an agenda of hope and opportunity and security for all Americans," the president told the cheering crowd.
Bush took aim at attacks by Kerry, denying he would bring back a military draft, insisting that the government was doing all it could to narrow a flu vaccine shortage, and pledging not to drill for oil off Florida's coast.
"I want to assure them that our government is doing everything possible to help older Americans and children get their shots despite the major manufacturing defect that caused this problem," he said.
With the influenza seasons set to peak between December and March, the shortage has led to long lines and instances of price-gouging, and Kerry has accused Bush of ignoring warning signs.
"I know there are some here who are worried about the flu season," said Bush. "We have millions of vaccine doses on hand for the most vulnerable Americans, and millions more will be shipped in the coming weeks."
Several times, Bush insisted that "the all-volunteer army will remain an all-volunteer army," aiming to counter Kerry's warnings that a draft may be coming because the war in Iraq has left the US military overstretched.
The president charged that Kerry had voted against crucial weapons systems and quoted him as saying that United States ought to be able to pass a "global test" if it is to use military force to preempt an emerging threat.
"My opponent is not prepared and equipped to be the commander in chief," he said.
Kerry had said during one of the three presidential debates that preemptive US military action ought to be able to pass a "global test" for legitimacy, an indirect reference to the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Bush was to make three stops during the day-long bus trip -- his 19th overall, and the third in the Sunshine State, which he has visited 14 times in 2004 and 31 times since taking office in January 2001.
The president won the White House in 2000 thanks to Florida, where he beat then vice president Al Gore by just 537 votes after the US Supreme Court ordered a halt to recounting ballots in the state.
His last campaign event was to take place at The Villages, a sprawling retirement community with a city-like population of 50,000, to court elderly voters who tend to go to the polls in higher percentages than other groups.
Florida is the richest prize among the dozen or so up-for-grabs states that are expected to decide the election, with 27 of the 270 electoral college votes needed to win the presidency.
On a separate front, Bush's campaign announced in a statement that it would launch a campaign tour focused on hugely popular NASCAR automobile racing, with some well-known drivers touring the battleground states of Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania.