President Bush and Senator John Kerry both make appearances in the hotly contested state of Wisconsin Tuesday, as they continue their hectic campaign schedule leading up to the November 2 election.

The Republican president also travels to Iowa, while his Democratic challenger will head to Nevada and New Mexico.

On Monday, the candidates again traded charges on national security and Iraq. Mr. Bush called Mr. Kerry's strategy for Iraq one of "pessimism and retreat."

Mr. Kerry said the newly reported disappearance of 350 metric tons of explosives from an unguarded facility in Iraq was "one of the great blunders of this administration."

Public opinion polls indicate the presidential race is extremely close with less than one week to go before election day.