President George W. Bush on Monday made his final plea to voters ahead of knife-edge congressional elections, telling them to vote Republican if they want America's full protection.
Bush, on a final three-state swing of a campaign dominated by the war in Iraq, branded Democrats as soft on the "war on terror" and also predicted Republicans would crush their rivals' hopes of seizing back control of one or both chambers of Congress.
But he suffered one final campaign trail indignity, as the Republican candidate to succeed the president's brother Jeb as Florida governor snubbed him at a rally, apparently wary of Bush's low poll ratings.
Despite polls showing public discontent over his management of the Iraq war, Bush delivered a hard-hitting warning to voters, staking out political ground on national security that helped him win past campaigns.
"As you go to the polls remember if you want your taxes low vote Republican," Bush said at a rally in Pensacola, Florida.
"As you go the polls, remember we are at war and if you want this country to do everything in its power to protect you and at the same time lay the foundation of peace for generations to come, vote Republican."
Bush again taunted his rivals with the death sentence handed down to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on Sunday, saying it was vindication for the US invasion in 2003.
"My decision to get rid of Saddam Hussein was the right decision, and the world is better for it," he said, as the crowd burst into a chant of "USA! USA!"
"The only way we will not win is if we leave before the job is done," he said. "If you listen for the plan from the Democrats, there isn't one."
But the low opinion poll ratings which have dogged Bush during the campaign were highlighted again when Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist skipped an appearance with Bush in the state which handed him the presidency after a protracted recount drama six years ago.
He quickly made clear he did not bear Crist a grudge.
"Tomorrow you get to vote for a new governor, and I strongly suggest you vote for Charlie Crist" and praising him as "experienced" and "compassionate."
But Bush's political guru Karl Rove was not impressed.
"All I know is that yesterday morning they apparently made a decision that rather than being with the governor and the president and 10,000 people in Pensacola, they made a last minute decision to go to Palm Beach," said Rove.
Asked whether this reflected Bush's low popularity, Rove replied: "Let's look at the comparison, let's see how many people show up in Palm Beach on 24 hours notice versus eight or nine thousand people in Pensacola."
Bush was later to head on to Arkansas and Texas, to wrap up a 10-state campaign blitz buoyed by signs his Republican party was picking up steam in the final hours.
One Republican who did not snub Bush here was Katherine Harris, the former senior Florida official reviled by Democrats for her role in the dramatic recount controversy.
But though Harris addressed the crowd, she was not seen alongside Bush, frustrating photographers clamouring for a shot of them together.
Harris trails badly in a state-wide Senate race to Democrat Bill Nelson, after what many analysts decried as a chaotic campaign.
Several national polls in the final hours of the campaign showed a narrowing of the race, prompting Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman to proclaim voters were discovering new "enthusiasm" for Republicans.
A Washington Post and ABC television poll showed likely voters favouring Democrats to Republicans by 51 percent to 45 percent. In an October 22 survey, the Democrats had led 55-41.
The non-partisan Pew Research Center found a 47-43 lead for Democrats among likely voters, down from 50-39 two weeks ago.
A new USA TodayGallup survey published on Monday showed Democratic challengers ahead in Senate races in Montana, Rhode Island, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
A poll for McClatchy newspapers and MSNBC meanwhile suggested Republicans had also come from behind in Rhode Island and Montana, to lead or tie Democrat opponents.