Bush Comes Down Hard on Kerry

President Bush unleashed a barrage of criticism at Sen. John F. Kerry on Saturday, portraying him as a weak and indecisive leader who cannot be trusted to combat terrorism abroad or foster prosperity at home.

“In less than 72 hours, the American people will be voting, and the decision comes down to: Who do you trust?” Bush told supporters at a rally here, a line he repeated later in Minnesota. “I offer leadership and resolve for a time of threat and a time of challenge.”

The president said Tuesday’s election was “one of the most important” in U.S. history because its outcome would “set the direction of the war against terror.”

Moving to end the campaign on an upbeat tone even as he pressed his case against Kerry, the president also struck an unusually personal note as he spoke of his faith, his upbringing and how the lessons of Sept. 11 transformed him as a leader.

Bush made no mention of the broadcast Friday of a new videotape of Osama bin Laden, portions of which were aired on the Arabic-language Al Jazeera satellite television channel, just four days before the U.S. election. But he spoke repeatedly and passionately of the continuing dangers posed by terrorists.

Vice President Dick Cheney tackled the Bin Laden issue head on while campaigning in Nazareth, Pa., saying the newly released statement was a “reminder that we are engaged in a global war on terror,” a war that he said Bush was more capable of prosecuting.

The issue also remained a key topic of conversation behind the scenes.

Before the president left his hotel suite Saturday morning in Columbus, Ohio, where he had staged a rally the night before with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, he conducted a video-conference with top national and domestic security aides to discuss, among other topics, the Bin Laden videotape.

White House aides and Bush campaign officials also continued to accuse Kerry of inappropriately criticizing the president for failing to capture the terrorist leader.

“You can judge people by how they react to events as they unfold during the campaign,” said White House communications director Dan Bartlett. “His first instinct was to attack the president.”

On the campaign trail, the president reminded voters of the threat of terrorism while also seeking to contrast his leadership style with that of his Democratic rival.

“America will need strong, determined, optimistic leadership, and I’m ready for the job,” Bush said.

Earlier in the day, the president used his final weekly radio address before the election to deliver another broadside, suggesting that the Massachusetts senator misunderstood the nature of the war on terrorism and portraying himself as a resolute commander willing to do “whatever it takes” to protect America and its people.

Before leaving Green Bay, Bush ordered his motorcade to stop at Lambeau Field, home of the city’s beloved Packers -- evidently to score another point against Kerry, who this year called the football facility “Lambert” field.

“It’s nice to be at Lambeau Field,” a smiling Bush said as he emerged from his limousine and walked over to greet a small group of supporters. “It’s good to be at Lambeau,” he repeated, emphasizing the second syllable.

Of the states he visited on Saturday -- Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Florida -- the president carried only Florida four years ago. His campaign has made a major effort to carry Wisconsin and Minnesota this year, and to a lesser extent, Michigan.

During portions of each speech, Bush turned reflective.

“I have learned first-hand how hard it is to send young men and women into battle -- even if the cause is right. I’ve been grateful for the lessons I have learned from my parents: Respect every person, do your best, live life to its fullest,” Bush told thousands of supporters here.

“I’ve been strengthened by my faith and humbled by its reminder that every life is a part of a larger story.”

The bulk of his remarks, though, involved attacking Kerry or promoting his own traits, which he said were vital in a commander in chief.

“I know how a president must lead,” Bush said. “A president must not shift with the wind. A president has to make the tough decisions and stand by them.... Whether you agree with me or disagree with me, you know where I stand. You know what I believe.”

The Sept. 11 attacks, Bush said, “made me look at the world in a different light,” adding: “I will never relent in defending this country -- whatever it takes.”

He launched a prolonged critique of Kerry’s record, portraying his opponent as someone who vacillated and was excessively deferential to the sensibilities of foreign governments.

In “key moments” during his 19-year Senate career, Bush said, “Sen. Kerry has chosen the position of weakness and inaction,” going against even “the great tradition of the Democratic Party” on national security matters.

As Bush crisscrossed the upper Midwest and then flew to Orlando, Fla., for an evening rally, his campaign and its allies blanketed battleground markets with television commercials, many of them attacking Kerry.

Republicans and pro-Bush groups were advertising on radio and TV in more than a dozen states.

The anti-tax Club for Growth spoofed Kerry as wishy-washy by portraying him in one ad as a groom at the altar who chose, at the last minute, to kiss the bridesmaid instead.

The pro-Bush Progress for America Voter Fund blitzed Arkansas and several other states with an emotional ad that featured Bush hugging the daughter of a woman killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The Florida Republican Party continued to praise Bush and deride Kerry with another in a series of Spanish-language ads targeting the Latino vote in central and south Florida.

“Bush defends family values, traditional marriage and the right to life,” the state GOP asserted in a 30-second spot seen in Tampa.

The ad, which showed a lineup of smiling babies to make its point on abortion, then showed pictures of deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden. “Bush fights terrorism without being intimidated,” the ad said. The spot then showed a picture of Kerry, bracketed by question marks.

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Times staff writer Nick Anderson in Washington and Richard Simon in Nazareth, Pa., contributed to this report.