8-26-04 - OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) Vice presidential candidate John Edwards promises to bring tax relief to the middle class and accelerate the war on terror during a campaign stop in Oklahoma.

Edwards visited the state Wednesday night to help raise money for John Kerry's presidential campaign.

He spoke for about eleven minutes before a crowd of about 250 cheering supporters at the Westin Hotel in Oklahoma City. Edwards says Kerry will roll back tax cuts for the richest Americans while retaining them for the rest of the country.

He also took aim at a series of ads paid for by a conservative group of Vietnam veterans that criticize Kerry's war record. Edwards say the ads say more about the character of President Bush than they do about Kerry.

President Bush, meanwhile, is wrapping up a week long stay at his Central Texas ranch and returning to the campaign trail.

He's scheduled for three campaign stops in New Mexico. The president's holding rallies in Las Cruces, Farmington and Albuquerque.

He's also to appear with former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who'll be among those welcoming delegates to the Big Apple when the GOP convention opens Monday.

Four years ago, Bush lost New Mexico to Al Gore by fewer than 400 votes. And though pollsters rate it close this time as well; one recent survey gave John Kerry a seven-point lead.