Bush, Kerry duel in battleground Wisconsin Democratic Presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., reacts to the crowd during a campaign rally in Appleton, Wisc. Friday, Oct. 15, 2004. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) By CARRIE ANTLFINGER Associated Press President Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry dueled Friday in the battleground state of Wisconsin, making stops 20 miles from each other in their fight for the state's 10 electoral votes in the last weeks before the election. Sen. Kerry visited a Milwaukee technical college and attended an afternoon bratwurst fry in a Sheboygan park and an evening rally at Lawrence University in Appleton. Bush held an evening rally at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, about 20 miles from Appleton in eastern Wisconsin. At Milwaukee Area Technical College, Kerry slammed Bush's economic policies, blaming him for Wisconsin's loss of 67,500 manufacturing jobs in the last four years. "George Bush has had four years to do something _ anything _ to create an economy where hard working Americans can live out their dreams," Kerry told more than 1,000 people, including students and many supporters. "But instead of seizing the moment, he squandered the opportunity. The problem is, the problem is, this president either just doesn't understand what's happened to our economy and the average family in America, or he understands and he just doesn't care." Kerry said the nation has lost 1.6 million private-sector jobs in the past four years, adding that Bush is the first president in 72 years to lose jobs. Kerry also criticized Bush's tax plan, saying the president gave tax cuts three times to those who make more than $200,000 a year. "The president has proven beyond a doubt he's out of touch with the average American family. He's out of ideas. He's unwilling to change course," Kerry said to applause. But Bush said to several thousand supporters who packed a hangar at the Oshkosh airport that the national economy is rebounding. He touted the nation's 5.4 percent unemployment rate and Wisconsin's 4.8 percent unemployment rate. Wisconsin is one of the few battleground states that has gained jobs overall since Bush took office. The state has 200 more jobs than in January 2001. The Oshkosh-Appleton metro area has a net loss of 3,100 jobs from 2000 to 2003, according to the Department of Workforce Development. State chief economist Terry Ludeman expects the area will gain 1,000 jobs by the end of this year. In Oshkosh, Bush also took jabs at Kerry. "He thought he was going to 'Lambert Field,' " Bush said, playing on Kerry's gaffe during an earlier stop in Wisconsin. The president admitted sometimes he mangles the English language, but he said he always keeps his word. Bush and his wife, Laura, took the stage to the theme from the movie "Air Force One" and the crowd roared. Chants of "Four more years!" echoed around the hangar walls. He took shots at Kerry's health care plan, saying it would cost the government $28 billion a year. The president said medical decisions should be made by doctors and patients, not Washington bureaucrats. "I trust the people, my opponent trusts the government," he said. Bush said he can picture a U.S. president sitting down with Iraqi leaders in much the same way American leaders do with leaders of Japan, America's sworn enemy in WWII. He also compared his vision of the world to that of Harry Truman's, saying the former president also faced a lot of skepticism in building alliance with Japan and Germany. Kerry focused on the economy as he toured Wisconsin. He said in Milwaukee he wanted to focus on keeping and creating good jobs, close tax loopholes that reward companies for moving jobs overseas. He also promised to give parents a tax credit of $1,000 to help pay for child care, offer tax breaks on up to $4,000 in tuition, give a tax cut to small businesses that provide quality health care to employees and cut prescription drug costs. Mary Sylva, a 49-year-old nursing student at MATC, said she is a Bush supporter but received a ticket from the school and wanted to hear what Kerry had to say. "I'm worried we have no idea where he will stand on situations in the future because he seems to take his stands according to the political winds of the day rather than having a set of values or principles of his own that we have some idea what his reaction will be," she said. Kerry and Bush have bombarded Wisconsin with visits this year. Kerry has visited 10 times and Bush nine. Four years ago, Bush lost the state to Democrat Al Gore by just 5,708 votes.