9-01-04 - WHITE HOUSE (AP) President Bush arrives at the Republican convention in New York Wednesday, after one more campaign stop in an important state.

Today, he's got a rally at a Columbus, Ohio, sports arena. With both campaigns fighting fiercely for the Buckeye State, it's the second Bush visit this week alone.

The president has spent the last week stumping in nine key states on the way to the Big Apple. Upon arriving in New York, Bush continues the convention's Nine-Eleven theme by visiting with firefighters in Queens. Then he'll head to his Manhattan hotel to watch Vice President Cheney give his acceptance speech.

Tuesday night, Bush introduced his wife's convention address speaking via video hookup from a late-night softball game and picnic organized by backers in North Middleton Township, Pennsylvania.

Laura Bush told delegates she hopes America's children will someday live in a world where today's terror threats are "a thing of the past."

She also gave a personal view of how her husband has dealt with the aftermath of Nine-Eleven, describing in a speech last night how he agonized over the decisions that brought the country into war.

Like other wartime presidents, the first lady says her husband only went to war because the security of the nation and the world depended on it.

It's rare for first ladies and for candidates' spouses to deal with foreign policy or other policy issues in convention speeches.

Polls indicate that Laura Bush is more popular than her husband and she's been a more frequent campaigner this year.

However, New York police still have their hands full containing protesters at the Republican Convention with more demonstrations scheduled today and 1500 arrests in the first three days.

Wednesday's planned protests include a "symbolic unemployment line" stretching from Wall Street to Madison Square Garden and an evening rally in Central Park.

Meanwhile, Democratic presidential nominee John is pouring half of his campaign's budget into television advertising. The 45 million dollars worth of ads being bought today will run between now and Election Day in 20 states. The purchase is being timed to coincide with the end of the GOP convention in New York.