Bush, Kerry Wage Political War in Wis.
M I L W A U K E E, Sept. 24, 2004 -- Wisconsin is a state of simple, hearty pleasures. They enjoy beer and bratwurst, produce cheese and Harleys, and obsess over Green Bay football. But the state is also hosting one of the most caustic, competitive races in the nation, complete with barnstorming candidates and blanketed airwaves.
Tailgaters outside a Milwaukee Brewers game need no reminder that they live in a battleground state.
"Are we aware? Do you not watch television?" said Wisconsin voter Bonnie Nabak.
"Yes, we know that quite well," added her husband, Jerry.
In the 2000 presidential election, George W. Bush lost in Wisconsin by fewer than 6,000 votes, just 0.2 percent. This year, both sides agree: If there is one Democratic state that is most likely to be picked off by the president, Wisconsin is it.
The president does have liabilities, though, such as a loss of nearly 80,000 manufacturing jobs and a war in Iraq whose casualties hit close to home.
"I'd like to see this war that we got involved in end somehow someway," said Jerry Nabak.
Kerry's Slip of the Tongue
Sen. John Kerry's liabilities include mistakenly calling Lambeau Field, hallowed home of the Green Bay Packers, "Lambert Field."
The president jumped on Kerry's fumble.
"If someone offers you a cheese head, don't say you want some wine, just put it on your head and take a seat at Lambeau Field," Bush said during a campaign stop.
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