• Bush, in first interview since debate, calls Kerry's attacks "shameless scare tactics." President says Mary Cheney remark "was over the line"; he would accept fundamentalist government in Iraq if voted by free elections. [USAT]
• Bush leads within margin of error in fresh WP survey, but Kerry has edge in battlegrounds. Campaigns settle on effective tactics for final two weeks. Gender gap widens; 46% say Kerry is too liberal, 36% say Bush is too conservative. [WP]
• NYT poll finds dead-heat, but Bush's approval rating hits 44% with majorities disapproving handling of Iraq, economy. Majority view Kerry as panderer. [NYT]
• Bush, in NJ, jabs Kerry for "September the 10th attitude." Kerry: "I will never be a commander in chief who just cavalierly, ideologically and arrogantly dismisses the advice of our best military commanders in the United States." [WP, NYT, USAT, BG, LAT]
• Kerry increasingly depends on exaggeratiosn, distortions of Bush's positions. [NYT]
• Kerry, in Florida: "George Bush's answer to our health care problems is to tell the American people, 'Stop whining.' Lower wages for American workers and a higher share of the tax burden for the middle class? Stop whining, everything's fine." [NYT, USAT, USAT]
• Bush shifts rationale for war as new evidence is exposed. GOP strategist: "There has been a difference of emphasis." [LAT]
• Pollsters gather approximately the same results, then use formulas that result in varying conclusions. [NYT]
• Minor problems arise as voting begins in Florida, Colorado, Texas, Arkansas also open polls. [WP, NYT]
• Dems have registered more new voters in every battleground where data is available, except Florida where parties are even. [USAT]
• Campaigns portray other as too dangerous for next four years. [WSJ]
• Total television ad spending to top $500m. In Tampa, Cleveland, and Philly, hundreds of campaign ads air daily. [LAT]
• CBC, DNC send celebrity activists to Florida to get out the vote. Alfre Woodard: "It's better to be here than riding around in my car listening to Usher or somebody." [WP]
• Campaigns, taking page from Dean, send emails to get supporters involved; BC04 has list of 6m, KE04 sends to 2.5m. [WP]
• Sinclair fires Washington bureau chief after he calls anti-Kerry film "blatant political propaganda." [LAT]
• Letter from Vatican says Kerry should be excommunicated. [NYT]
• Kerry to spend election night in Copley Square, Boston. [BG]
• Children of candidates show vitality, procreativity of their fathers; Vanessa commutes from London School of Economics to campaign; Barbara TiVos "The O.C." to attend Bush events. [WP]
• Ex-Marine sues, claiming "Stolen Honor" libels him by deceptive editing. [NYT]
• Coalition seeks to block e-voting in New Jersey. [NYT]
• Mary Cheney, "child of the nondisclosed location." Columnist: "It is not an insult to call a proudly public lesbian a lesbian. It's an insult to gasp when someone calls her a lesbian." [WP]
• Gore: "The same insularity and zeal that makes [Bush] effective at smash-mouth politics, makes him terrible at governing." [WP, NYT]
