Kerry told to fight 'Bush bounce'

Mr Kerry is planning to visit four states in one day

Senior Democrats are calling on John Kerry to reinvigorate his campaign, or risk losing the US election to President George Bush.

Two polls released since the end of the Republican convention last week have suggested 10-point leads for Mr Bush.

Senator Christopher Dodd said the Kerry message had been "confused" during summer while Senator Bob Graham said the campaign was "out of focus".

The Kerry camp says the "Bush bounce" after the convention will be temporary.

VOTERS' VIEWS Bush's speech was very effective and most likely has captured a large number of undecided and swing voters Jorge Caspary, Tallahassee, Florida Read the opinions of our panel of voters

A rise in the opinion polls was expected after the high profile of the Republican Party's meeting in New York.

Democratic Party chief Terry McAuliffe told reporters: "After a week of relentless negativity, we will be fighting back using Bush's own record on the economy, jobs and health care."

The latest moves come on Labor Day, the traditional beginning of full-scale campaigning in the US presidential election.

Campaign trail

The BBC's Justin Webb, in Washington, says Mr Kerry has adopted a more hectic schedule than Mr Bush.

Mr Kerry is visiting Pennsylvania in the early morning, West Virginia and Ohio during the course of the day, and finishing with an evening rally in North Carolina.

More polls on election issues

In graphics

The president is campaigning in Missouri.

Time magazine's poll on Friday had Mr Bush ahead 52-41 while Saturday's Newsweek poll had Mr Bush ahead by 54-43, both with a 4% error margin.

But our correspondent says the picture in key "battleground" states is still much closer.

Reports quoting Democrat sources said Mr Kerry had a long telephone conversation with former President Bill Clinton on Saturday night, in which Mr Clinton reinforced that a strong campaign message could be hammered out of Mr Bush's record on jobs, Iraq and other issues.

Aides said the two decided to talk at length when Mr Kerry called Mr Clinton on Friday to wish him well before heart surgery.

The conversation came as Mr Kerry moved John Sasso, a long-time adviser who once ran the presidential campaign for Michael Dukakis, from the Democratic National Committee to a top spot inside his own campaign.

'Compare and contrast'

Meanwhile, Mr Graham, one of several fellow Democrats to raise questions about Kerry's campaign performance, defended describing him as still a little "out of focus" for many voters.

The Kerry camp is to attack Bush on domestic issues

Asked on NBC's Meet the Press programme if Mr Kerry should be clearer on what he would do in Iraq, Mr Graham said: "I would suggest he also needs to say that the issue is now beyond Iraq; it is now Iran, it is now North Korea."

Mr Dodd, an influential Democrat from Connecticut, said his party's standard bearer had "a very confused message in August, and the Republicans had a very clear and concise one".

"We did not adequately lay out the contrast, compare and contrast what a Kerry administration would do and what the Bush administration has done," Mr Dodd said of the Democrats' convention in Boston.