US election diary: 6 days to go

Calling on slackers

The idol of Bush-haters and slobs, filmmaker Michael Moore, has been in Ohio rallying for votes for Senator John Kerry. His "Slacker Uprising Tour" is trying to motivate couch potatoes, the apolitical, apathetic and lethargic to rouse themselves and vote under the slogan: "Sleep till noon, drink beer, vote Kerry".

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Bush amused

President George W. Bush sees the value - and the humour - in the idea that aides could feed him advice through a radio receiver hidden on his back. "Please explain to me how it works so maybe if I were ever to debate again I could figure it out," Bush said. After TV cameras showed a box-shaped bulge on his back during the first presidential debate, internet bloggers wondered whether Bush had been wired to receive help. Bush blamed it yesterday on a "poorly tailored shirt".

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TV wants to get it right

Television news executives say their desire to be first in calling a winner will take a back seat to a loftier goal - getting it right. And for the first time in modern US politics, the networks are acknowledging in advance that the best projection to make at the end of the night may be simply: "Too close to call." The networks' credibility was tarnished in 2000 when they called the presidential race for Al Gore, then retracted calling Bush the winner and then retracted again to report a disputed outcome.

- AGENCIES