Kerry spent his day in Florida, urging supporters to vote early,and Bush was scheduled to fly in Monday evening after campaigning in New Jersey.

At a rally in New Jersey, Bush said Kerry had "flip-flopped his way to a dangerous position...a strategy of retreat" in Iraq.

"That approach would lead to a major defeat in the war on terror," he said, insisting that he had a strategy to win.

In Tampa, Florida, Kerry responded by saying that he would fight "a smarter, more effective, tougher war on terror" with the help of allies around the world.

"Just because President Bush couldn't do it doesn't mean it can't be done," he said.

Kerry complained that Bush's "mismanagement" of the Iraq war had left the United States less secure than it should be.

He accused the president of "arrogant boasting" to hide bitter truths about a war waged on his command.

Voters in Florida, which carries 27 electoral votes, began casting early ballots Monday in the 2004 presidential race.

In 2000, Florida became the focus of the bitterly contested presidential race, when challenges to voting procedures and a recount fight reached the Supreme Court before propelling Bush to the White House.

In Texas, another early-voting state, Bush's parents, former President George H. W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, cast early ballots for their son during the day.

Two weeks before the Nov. 2 elections, a number of national polls showed a tight race between Bush and Kerry, with some giving Bush a slender advantage.