Bread and butter issues melt before the firepower of war rhetoric

THIS is a War President and as little as 24 hours in the US will make you fully realise how much of a war election it is.

Of course, the bread and butter issues - that traditionally win and lose elections - have featured but they have been completely eclipsed by Iraq.

All week, a story about 380 tons of missing explosives in Iraq has dominated the campaign. Kerry has mocked Bush for being “incompetent” and not fit to be Commander-in-Chief. After being slow on the uptake, Bush is hitting back with scorching comments of his own.