Bush continues to step up campaign travel

The White House on Tuesday said President Bush will make campaign appearances in Missouri and Iowa Friday while Vice President Cheney will travel to Idaho for an event in the city of Hayden.

The White House political shop is keeping the president's schedule for the final days of the campaign fluid, retaining the flexibility to move him quickly into areas where the latest polling says he can be of help. White House officials were unwilling at presstime to say exactly where in Missouri and Iowa Bush will be traveling, indicating they may not yet be finished crafting his Friday schedule.

But White House Press Secretary Tony Snow said Bush was going to Missouri at least in part to campaign for GOP Sen. Jim Talent, though Snow could not confirm whether Talent would appear with the president. In Iowa, GOP Rep. Jim Nussle is involved in a tight race for governor, while Democrats are angling to seize the seat he is vacating representing the state's 1st District.

Bush is expected to continue his newly aggressive schedule of public campaign appearances through Election Day. Colorado's Greeley Tribune reported Tuesday that there are indications Bush will travel to the Greeley area to campaign on behalf of GOP Reps. Marilyn Musgrave, who is fighting to keep her seat, and Bob Beauprez, who is running for governor. The White House declined to confirm or deny the report.

Hayden, where Cheney will stop, is in Idaho's 1st District. There is evidence the race there for what had been expected to be a safe GOP seat may be tightening.

Meanwhile, a nasty spat erupted between Snow and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., over remarks Kerry made Monday during an appearance in California. Snow alleged the comments were an insult to the troops.

"You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make the effort to be smart, you can do well. And if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq," Kerry reportedly said.

"What Sen. Kerry ought to do first is apologize to the troops," Snow said. "The clear implication here is: If you flunk out, if you don't study hard, if you don't do your homework, if you don't make an effort to be smart and you don't do well, you, quote, 'get stuck in Iraq.'"

Kerry issued an unusually scathing written response that seemed to suggest he was talking about Bush. "If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they're crazy," Kerry said.

He added: "I'm not going to be lectured by a stuffed suit White House mouthpiece standing behind a podium, or doughy Rush Limbaugh, who no doubt today will take a break from belittling Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease to start lying about me just as they have lied about Iraq. It disgusts me that these Republican hacks, who have never worn the uniform of our country, lie and distort so blatantly and carelessly about those who have."