On the Republican side, President George W. Bush will try to project an air of routine by retiring to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, after campaign events in Wisconsin, a battleground state, on Friday, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

He will barnstorm in Ohio on Monday and then will be out of sight again in Crawford on Tuesday, before making a stop in Florida on the way to the debate site at the University of Miami in Coral Gables.

Senator John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, will hold a more traditional debate camp, heading for Wisconsin because of its status as a swing state.

Kerry has a very light public schedule between Saturday and the debate. On Sunday, he will head to Spring Green, Wisconsin, for intense debate preparations at a scheduled location.

The role of Bush in Kerry's preparation sessions is being played by Gregory B. Graig, a seasoned trial lawyer and a high-ranking State Department official in the Clinton administration.

Bush began debate preparation in late July in secret sessions at the White House residence, which has been heavily focused on Kerry's record and past statements, his aides were quoted as saying. The role of Kerry has been played by Republican Senator Judd Gregg from New Hampshire, who played Al Gore, Bush's Democratic rival four years ago, in Bush's preparations in 2000.

Vice President Dick Cheney will prepare for the vice presidential debate, to be held on Oct. 5, at his home in Jackson, Wyoming, while Senator John Edwards, Kerry's running mate, has not announced his debate preparation plans.

The 2004 US presidential election is to be held on Nov. 2.