THE American presidential campaign roared back to furious life yesterday as President George W Bush and his Democratic rival, Senator John Kerry, stormed through the key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, trading insults over the future of the US economy.

The first opinion polls since the close of the Democratic party convention in Boston gave Kerry a lead of up to eight points over his Republican rival. But the so-called “bounce” from a week of high-profile Democratic debate was one of the lowest recorded after a party convention.

As Bush attempted to shrug off announcements of a record budget deficit and slower than expected economic growth, a Newsweek poll showed that Kerry had gained only four points on his previous lead over Bush — a slim margin that may swiftly be swallowed up as the Republicans head for their own convention in New York later this month.

Both candidates focused on economic issues as large crowds turned out in states hit by job losses. Kerry attacked Bush for offering “little itsy bitsy” soundbites as solutions for America’s problems.

Yet Bush was moving swiftly to counterattack after a week out of the spotlight. On the trail through industrial states with a rewritten campaign speech, the president insisted that the US economy was “turning the corner and we’re not turning back”. He urged Americans not to change political course at a time of continuing crisis.

“We heard a lot of clever speeches and some big promises (at the Democratic convention),” said Bush, who trailed Kerry by 43% to 48% in a Zogby poll released on Friday. “My opponent has good intentions, but intentions do not always translate to results.”

Determined to maintain their momentum after the rousing reception they received from Democratic delegates, Kerry and John Edwards, his vice-presidential running mate, have embarked on a two-week cross-country marathon by bus, train and boat to visit 21 states where the race is believed to be close.

“We’re going to change America,” promised Kerry, who managed only a few hours’ sleep after his speech. “Sometimes you’ve got to sweat a little to do it.”

Matthew Dowd, the Bush campaign’s chief strategist, acknowledged that Kerry was likely to receive an opinion poll “bounce” from his performance in Boston and would probably begin August ahead of the president. “The only open question is by how much and how long it lasts,” he said.

Republicans are launching a television advertising blitz to take advantage of a quirk in federal election laws that restricts spending after party conventions. The Republicans do not meet until the end of August and will be able to spend freely this month while the Kerry campaign has been forced to suspend much of its advertising budget.

Bush and his running mate, Vice-President Dick Cheney, laid out last Friday their likely avenues of attack as they prepare for their own convention. “Their big idea for the economy: raise taxes,” Cheney told voters in Washington state.

Both men also attacked Kerry for initially supporting the war in Iraq, then voting against spending on military operations. “There is nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat,” said Bush.

Kerry suffered an embarrassing moment when he approached US marines off duty in a Pennsylvania fast food restaurant. They turned out to be Bush supporters who complained afterwards that Kerry had “imposed” on them. “I’m 100% against him,” said one soldier. “We support our commander-in-chief 100%.”

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