http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/9778864.htm?1chttp://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/politics/9776984.htm?1c Candidates prepare for first debate
CAMPAIGNS LAUNCH NEW TV ADS REINFORCING POSITIONS ON IRAQ
By James Kuhnhenn and Mark Johnson
Knight Ridder
SPRING GREEN, Wis. - Sen. John Kerry and President Bush tested their best debate lines Monday, mixing dashes of humor with cutting criticism in a preview of their upcoming encounter in Miami on Thursday night.
Kerry, preparing Monday in the quiet hills of south-central Wisconsin, accused the president of ``not coming clean'' about the war in Iraq and the U.S. economy.
He acknowledged that some voters question whether it is prudent, in the middle of a war, to ``change horses in midstream,'' but said, ``When your horse is heading down toward the waterfall, or when your horse is drowning, it's a good time to change horses in midstream.''
The 6-foot-4-inch candidate added: ``May I also suggest that we need a taller horse? You can get through deeper waters that way.''<snip>
"Today: over 1,000 U.S. soldiers dead, kidnappings, even beheadings of Americans,'' the ad says. ``Still, Bush has no plan what to do in Iraq. How can you solve a problem when you can't see it?"<snip>