CANDIDATES READY FOR DEBATE

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) _ President Bush and John Kerry will say

to one another tonight what they've been telling their respective

supporters for months.

In tonight's presidential debate, Bush is expected to portray

Kerry as a weak leader who flip-flops on the major issues.

Kerry is expected to portray Bush as someone who's unrealistic

in his optimism about Iraq. Kerry is also expected to verbally

pound Bush for not tackling other major problems, such as the

nuclear threat posed by North Korea and Iran.

Since the president is ahead in most polls, he can afford for

the debate to be a draw. But that's likely not the case for Kerry,

since he's trying to gain momentum just weeks before the election.

Some Democrats see tonight's debate in Miami as Kerry's last

chance to break out.

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