Bush: Military 'in decline' under Democrats

Monday, Bush told the veterans' organization in Milwaukee that he would "rebuild the military power of the United States of America" should he win in November.

Bush embraces John Smart, National Commander & Chief of Veterans of Foreign Wars, after being introduced to speak at their convention Monday in Milwaukee.

"The current administration inherited a military ready for the dangers and challenges that faced our nation," Bush said. "The next president will inherit a military in decline ... Our military is still without equal, but it is not without serious problems that must be addressed immediately."

In the address, Bush promised to pull U.S. troops out of peacekeeping missions in the Balkans and offer an additional $1 billion in raises for serving personnel, plus increased re-enlistment bonuses for key personnel.

"A volunteer military has only two paths. It can lower its standards to fill its ranks, or it can inspire the best and brightest to join and stay," Bush said at the start of a two-day campaign swing through Wisconsin and Iowa.

He also called for more spending on schools near military bases and pledged health care for veterans.

"Our men and women in uniform love their country more than their comfort. They have never failed us, and we must not fail them," Bush said. "But the best intentions and highest morale are undermined by back-to-back deployments, shortages (and) rapidly declining readiness."

Tuesday, Bush takes his campaign to Peoria, Illinois and suburban St. Louis. Both campaigns see the vote-rich industrial Midwest -- states like Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Missouri -- as crucial battlegrounds in the campaign.

Gore edges upward in weekend polls

Thanks in part to a big rise in the polls, Gore has been pumped up since accepting the Democratic presidential nomination at his party's convention Thursday night.

A new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, taken Friday and Saturday, showed Gore running even with Bush, who was leading by 16 percentage points in the previous CNN poll taken August 11-12, just before this month's Democratic National Convention.

Interviews with 1,000 adult Americans, including 697 likely voters, showed Gore with 47 percent, Bush with 46 percent, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader with 3 percent and disputed Reform Party candidate Patrick Buchanan with 2 percent. With the poll's margin of error at 4 percentage points, the two major-party candidates are locked in a virtual dead heat.

An earlier poll Saturday by Newsweek magazine showed Gore had the support of 52 percent of registered voters against Bush's 44 percent in a two-way race. That poll also had a 4-point plus or minus margin of error.

VIDEO CNN's John King reports on Vice President Al Gore's campaign strategy in the first week after the Democratic National Convention (August 20) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Miles O'Brien interviews Democratic consultant Peter Fenn and GOP supporter Alex Castellanos about their estimates of the post-convention scene Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's John King says U.S. Vice President Al Gore's emphasis on the environment appeals to independent voters (August 19). Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     INFORMATION Happy Birthday, President Clinton and Tipper Gore

Gore said Monday the polls show his attention to detail and issues is working.

"I still think polls don't matter much," he said. But, "As more people really listen and pay attention, then naturally the issues become more important than the image ... I think that works to the advantage of Joe Lieberman and myself."

While Democrats exulted in the new numbers, Bush downplayed the bounce.

"I like my chances, but I know I've got a lot of work to do," Bush, who led the polls by a double-digit margin a week ago, said Monday on his way to Milwaukee. "It's going to be a close race."

Gore, Bush break fund-raising records

Meanwhile, figures released by the campaigns showed both Bush and Gore set fund-raising records during their drives to the conventions.

Bush raised a record $100.1 million for his campaign, while Gore claimed a total of $15.3 million in federal matching funds -- edging out the previous mark of $13.5 million set by GOP nominee Bob Dole in 1996.

Both men now qualify for $67.6 million dollars in federal funds for the fall campaign. That means through election day the campaigns are limited to that federal money, and they cannot raise private funds except to cover legal and accounting costs.

Bush has already received his share of the $67.6 million. Gore's campaign says it applied Friday after the Democratic convention for its share.

Bush has spent most of the money he raised, leaving his campaign with about $4.2 million cash on hand at the end of July. The previous record for fund-raising was set in 1992 by businessman and Reform Party founder Ross Perot, who raised $72.8 million -- most of it from his own personal fortune.

The Bush campaign says 350,000 donors contributed money, about three-quarters of whom gave $100 dollars or less. The Bush campaign says its average contribution was $194. Unlike Gore, Bush refused federal matching funds so he could raise and spend as much as he wanted during the primary season and in the months leading up to his party's convention.

By taking federal matching funds for the primaries, Gore had to agree to limit his primary campaign spending to $40.5 million. Figures from the Gore campaign show $85,000 raised in July, for a $37 million total this election cycle.

The vice president spent about $2 million in July, for a total of $44 million in expenditures this election cycle. His campaign had about $6.4 million cash on hand through July.

CNN Senior White House Correspondent John King, Correspondent Pat Neal, Pollster Keating Holland, Producer Bill Mears and CNN.com writer Matt Smith contributed to this report.