"It seems like every day, I'm changing my mind," said Victoria Lichtman, 50, of Delray Beach, Fla. Ms. Lichtman said the president, whom she did not support in 2000, had done a poor job on the environment, as Mr. Kerry has charged. But, she wondered, was Mr. Kerry proposing a form of government-controlled medicine, as the president has claimed? The war started by Mr. Bush breaks her heart, Ms. Lichtman said, but would Mr. Kerry swing too far in the other direction?
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In St. Louis, Doug Newton, 37, a high school history teacher, said he was leaning toward Mr. Bush. "The concrete is still a little soft," he said. "Anything could happen. I'm a supporter of our actions in Iraq, even though the weapons of mass destruction have not been found, and may never be found. I kind of feel like I know where Bush stands and what he is for. To me, Kerry is more of a guy who is against things."
For him and for his wife, he said, security was a critical issue. "That's why I tend to go with the veterans, and went with Gore in 2000," he said, and even though Mr. Kerry served in the Navy, Mr. Newton had some doubts about his willingness to buck world opinion.
Kimberly Parmer, 33, who works as a human resources manager in western Michigan, said the emphasis on national security issues had distorted the campaign.
"I don't think terrorism is as big a threat as everyone is making it out to be," Ms. Parmer said. "Yes, we have had a couple of incidents, but other countries have hundreds every year. Iraq is important, but so are things like Social Security and Medicare. Neither one has really touched on those subjects because no one is going to be happy, no matter what you do."
Ms. Parmer, who said she is firmly planted in "the very low middle class," also saw the Bush tax cut as poorly timed. She normally votes for Democrats, she said, but is not sure this time.
"One is too polished; the other one, I think to be honest, I don't know how he ever got to be president," Ms. Parmer said. "I am really surprised he has gotten as far as he has in life. I do think he's honest."
Even so, Ms. Parmer said, she thought she might vote for Mr. Bush. "If you actually look at him, and he stands up next to Kerry, you just kind of feel sorry for him," she said. "I feel he's more of an underdog, he's had a hard go of it in the last four years."
Another voter who has shifted between the two candidates, and was leaning, at last look, in Mr. Bush's direction, was Caran Gottlieb, 42, an occupational therapist who lives in Pompano Beach, Fla. "My concern, with Bush, there is no more middle class," Ms. Gottlieb said. "The tax benefits all seem to go to the upper echelon. But he is good with foreign policy. I feel he can speak well on that issue. Not literally 'speak well.' I meant he has a good voice for foreign policy."
She saw the film, "Fahrenheit 9/11," and while recognizing that its director, Michael Moore, had not meant to praise Mr. Bush, speculated that his family's business ties with Saudi Arabian concerns could be a plus for the country.
"I don't know if it's because of all his dealing with the Saudis, the private sector, I feel he has a good relationship" with leaders in the Middle East, Ms. Gottlieb said. In 2000, she voted for Mr. Bush, primarily because she thought he would be a strong ally of Israel, and said that would be an important consideration this year.
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