Bush's Republicans unveiled a new television ad and a "Winning the War on Terror Tour" highlighting Kerry's Senate votes against such weapons systems as the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, B-2 Stealth bomber and F/A-18 fighter jet.

The Democrats countered by accusing the White House of "hypocrisy," saying that Vice President Dick Cheney had tried to cut 81 major weapons programs while defense secretary from 1989 to 1993, including many the Republicans are using against Kerry.

The exchange came as both Bush and Kerry campaigned Monday on the theme of jobs, and it highlighted how prominently security concerns were likely to play along with the econonmy in the November 2 election.

Polls show Iraq and the war on terror moving to the top of the agenda for voters. A Washington Post-ABC News survey released last week found that 45 percent of Americans saw one or the other as the top issue in the campaign.

Bush portrays himself as a "war president" battling terrorism after the September 11, 2001 attacks and is seeking to paint Kerry as weak and waffling on defense for all his decorations won in the Vietnam War.

A new Republican television ad unveiled Monday attacked the Massachusetts senator's voting record, saying, "John Kerry has repeatedly opposed weapons vital to winning the war on terror," including body armour for troops in Iraq.

A campaign statement also scored John Kerry for voting against 87 billion dollars for post-war Afghanistan and Iraq, and said he proposed 7.5 billion dollars in intelligence cuts not long after first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993.

Cheney was to deliver a speech Monday questioning Kerry's fitness to be commander-in-chief. The campaign's two-week "Winning the War on Terror Tour" was to feature appearances by Republican officials at defense plants producing weapons Kerry has opposed.

The Republicans also kept up their jibes at Kerry over his anti-Vietnam War activities, suggesting he only pretended to fling away his combat decorations with other veterans at a 1971 protest rally, an allegation the Democrat angrily denied.

Terry McAuliffe, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, accused Cheney of "hypocrisy" in attacking Kerry on the weapons issue after seeking massive cuts in arms budgets while defense secretary for Bush's father.

"He (Cheney) tried to cut 81 major weapons programs, many of those weapons we are using today in Iraq. He tried to get rid of 500,000 active duty personnel, 200,000 reservists. He tried to close 70 bases," McAuliffe said.

A statement by the Kerry campaign said the items cut by Cheney included 90 C-17 transport planes and 14 B-52 bombers, two aircraft that turned out to be vital to operations in Iraq.

The Democrats argue that their candidate supported 16 of the 19 defense authorisation budgets put before the Senate since he entered the body, and any "no" votes were aimed at trimming often inflated spending plans.

They again accused the White House of distorting Kerry's record. Campaign spokesman Chad Clanton said Monday: "Not only are these attacks false, Cheney himself tried to cut many of the same weapons systems that the Bush campaign is now attacking John Kerry on."

"Bush and Cheney are the ones who sent our military to Iraq without basic equipment like body armor and with no plan for bringing the troops home," Clanton said in a statement.

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