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By Paula Wolfson
The U.S. presidential election campaign is focusing on just a few states where the race is extremely close. The two major party candidates are spending most of their time now in these so-called battleground states.
President Bush, the Republican incumbent, was back in Pennsylvania Thursday, while Democrat John Kerry was on the road in Ohio.
The two neighboring states could hold the key to victory in an election that most polls show remains far too close to call.
Iraq and fighting terror are big issues but so too are domestic concerns, especially health care.
During a session with voters in eastern Pennsylvania, President Bush warned Senator Kerry wants to replace the current system which relies on the private sector with a government program.
"The Kerry plan would move America down the road toward federal control of health care, which would lead to lower quality and health care rationing," he said.
Meanwhile, in Ohio, John Kerry accused the Bush administration of turning its back on promising medical research.
At an event in Columbus, the state capital and the site of one of America's largest universities, he pointed to limits placed by the president on research using stem cells from human embryos. Some scientists say the cells could help provide clues to diseases and debilitating conditions ranging from diabetes to paralysis.
"It's wrong to tell scientists that they can't cross the frontiers of new knowledge. It is wrong morally and wrong economically," said Mr. Kerry. "And when I am president we will change this policy and we will lead the world in stem cell research."
Mr. Kerry appeared on stage in Columbus with the widow of actor Christopher Reeve, who became an advocate for the disabled after a horseback riding accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down.
As she spoke, Dana Reeve touched a gold wedding band hanging on her necklace.
"Chris's heart was as big as the ring on his finger, which I am now wearing around my neck," she said. "It's an enormous ring, you can see. And his heart was full of hope and he imagined living in a world where politics would never get in the way of hope."
On Monday, Senator Kerry will share the podium with former President Bill Clinton, who will be making his first public appearance after undergoing major heart surgery. Meanwhile, President Bush is expected to campaign with actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California.
Paula Wolfson, VOA News, the White House.
注释：
battleground states “激战州”
Pennsylvania 宾夕法尼亚州
Ohio 俄亥俄州
rationing（食物等的）配给
Columbus 哥伦布（美国俄亥俄州首府）
stem cell 干细胞
embryos 晶胚
debilitate 使虚弱
diabetes 糖尿病
paralysis 瘫痪
frontier 边界，未开拓的领域
widow 遗孀
advocate 倡导者
podium 演讲台
surgery 手术
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