COLUMBUS - President Bush and U.S. Sen. John Kerry, each presenting himself as the better choice to keep America safe, will speak next week before the National Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Cincinnati.

Mr. Bush will appear at the event Monday. Mr. Kerry will speak Wednesday.

The event is being held as Mr. Kerry's Vietnam War record is being debated on both sides by fellow veterans of the war. The Kerry campaign, meanwhile, points to cuts in veteran health benefits by the Bush administration during a time of war.

With Ohio emerging as the hotbed for presidential election activity, Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to talk about the war on terror before a friendly crowd at the Dayton Convention Center this Thursday morning.

First Lady Laura Bush was just in Toledo on Monday.

Mr. Bush was in Columbus last week and both he and Mr. Kerry had campaigned in the state over the prior weekend.

First Published August 11, 2004, 11:18 a.m.