Countdown to US election

OCTOBER 14

* President George W. Bush and Democratic Sen. John Kerry prepared for a final debate that could give the winner a critical boost in the last three weeks of a tight White House race.

* A new television ad sponsored by US veterans strongly questions Bush's case for war in Iraq, but the group behind it said the spot was not meant to benefit either presidential candidate.

* Democrats charged that the national Republican party was linked to a group accused of trying to stop Democrats from registering to vote in at least two Western battleground states, Nevada and Oregon.

* California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is shying away from the daunting task of getting Bush elected by Californians. Instead, he is narrowly focusing on a handful of local issues.

* Voters displaced by hurricanes or given flawed instructions should be allowed to cast ballots outside their designated precincts, critics of Florida's provisional ballot law told the state Supreme Court.


Campaign Issues

* Hundreds of Arab Americans danced and celebrated after the fall of Baghdad last year, and enthusiastically shouted thanks to President George W. Bush. Now, even some of the most vocal supporters of the president blame him for failing to stop the disorder and death in Iraq. One opinion poll shows Bush trailing Democratic Sen. John Kerry among Arab Americans in four key battleground states including Michigan, where every vote could count in a close Nov. 2 election.

* The European Union's outgoing trade chief lashed out at "euro bashing" in the US presidential campaign, linking it to the all-out battle that has erupted over state aid for aircraft manufacturing rivals Airbus and Boeing.


Quotes

* "It reflects the degree to which the White House tries to spin its way out of the problems facing working America when it should be focusing on solutions," Kerry, criticising Treasury Secretary John Snow's reported comments that Bush's failures on the issue of job creation were "a myth."

* "What I'm going to tell the people tomorrow night is we're not going to go back to the days of tax and spend," Bush to supporters in Arizona on Tuesday night.


The Debates

* Bush and Kerry hold their last campaign debate on Wednesday in Tempe, Arizona, on domestic and economic policy, at 9pm EDT (2pm NZ time)


Latest Polls

* Oct. 13 - Reuters/Zogby poll (likely voters): Bush 45 per cent, Kerry 45 per cent, Nader 1.5 per cent. Error margin 2.9 points.

* Oct. 13 - ABC News (likely voters) - Bush 48 per cent, Kerry 48 per cent. Error margin 3 points.

* Oct. 12 - Washington Post tracking (likely voters): Bush 50 per cent, Kerry 47 per cent. Error margin 3 points.

* Oct. 12 - Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll (likely voters) in swing state Pennsylvania, Kerry 49 per cent, Bush 47 per cent. Error margin 2.7 percentage points.

* Oct. 12 - CBS News poll (likely voters): Bush 48 per cent, Kerry 45 per cent, Independent candidate Ralph Nader 2 per cent. Error margin 3 points.

* Oct. 11 - USA Today/CNN/Gallup (likely voters): Kerry 49 per cent, Bush 48 per cent, Nader 1 per cent. Error margin 3 points.

Candidates' Schedules For Thursday:

Bush: in Nevada and Oregon

Kerry: in Nevada and Iowa