President George W. Bush, responding to new threats from Osama bin Laden, told top aides to take all actions necessary to guard against attacks, and cast the election as a stark choice between his "whatever it takes" leadership and John Kerry's "cut-and-run" approach.
Campaigning in the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Florida three days before Tuesday's election, Bush said Americans were safer but warned, "The terrorists who killed thousands of innocent people are still dangerous and they are determined."
He told nearly 17,000 supporters in Grand Rapids that "the outcome of this election will set the direction of the war against terror," and warned, "Sen. Kerry has chosen the path of weakness and inaction."
"In times of war and in hours of crisis, Sen. Kerry has turned his back on 'pay any price' and 'bear any burden,' and he's replaced those commitments with 'wait and see' and 'cut and run,'" Bush said.
Bush's Democratic presidential rival has vowed "to fight a smarter, tougher, more effective, more strategic war on terror" and make "America safer that George Bush has."
The Massachusetts senator has also argued that Bush made a huge mistake in late 2001 by failing to send US troops after bin Laden when he was believed to be trapped in the Tora Bora mountains of Afghanistan.
Bush made no direct mention of bin Laden's new videotape on the campaign trail on Saturday.
But the White House said the al Qaeda leader was Bush's focus in an early morning videoconference with his homeland security team, including Homeland Secretary Tom Ridge, Attorney General John Ashcroft, CIA Director Porter Goss and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice.
"The president did direct them to take all actions that might be necessary," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters.
McClellan could not say what, if any, specifics actions were being taken. "We are already on a heightened state of alert. Remember we're in an increased ... period of risk already and we have taken a number of steps related to that."
McClellan said a review of the US terror alert status was ongoing. So far, the Bush administration has not raised the already heightened alert level in response to the bin Laden tape, which surfaced on Friday. "That's something we're always reviewing and looking at. But there is no change at this time," McClellan said.
The White House has jumped on comments made by Kerry on Friday shortly after the tape appeared accusing Bush of bungling the hunt for bin Laden. Bush called it "shameful" and White House communications director Dan Bartlett suggested there should have been a pause in those kinds of political attacks.
Bush did not hold himself back on Saturday, blasting what he called Kerry's "propensity to change positions" on national security issues. He compared Kerry to the weather in Grand Rapids: "You don't like it, wait a little bit and it will change."
In contrast, Bush cast himself as a steadfast leader who was deeply changed by the September 11, 2001, attacks. "I will never relent in defending our country, whatever it takes," Bush said.
The race has tightened to become virtually neck-and-neck in the final week of the campaign, prompting a last-minute blitz by both sides.
In the latest Reuters/Zogby poll released on Saturday Kerry moved into a one-point lead over Bush at 47 percent to 46 percent, well within the margin of error. The three-day tracking poll was conducted Wednesday through Friday.
It is unclear how the new bin Laden tape will impact the bitter election. In it, bin Laden warned the United States of more attacks like those on September 11.
Some political analysts said it could help Bush by reminding voters of his perceived strength in fighting the war on terrorism, which Bush focused on Saturday.
Others said the tape could benefit Kerry by reminding voters that the al Qaeda leader, whom Bush wanted "dead or alive," was still alive and apparently well and threatening new attacks.
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