Gore to speak in Chicago today

Five days. One hundred twenty precious hours and counting until E-Day, when the marathon of presidential campaigning will end at the ballot boxes. In the little time before the elections, Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore are racking up miles on a coast-to-coast tour to win over remaining undecided voters and ensure everyone who is registered will go to the polls Nov. 7.\nIf Gore sticks to his itinerary, he will be in the Midwest again Thursday. Gore is scheduled to speak at the Daley Plaza in Chicago around noon with special guests singer Stevie Wonder and Chicago-native actor John Cusack.\nThe vice president has been keeping hours that rival a sleep-deprived college student's. Over the weekend, Gore canvassed the Midwest on a "Great Lakes Prosperity Tour," with stops throughout Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.\nSpeaking in more than 13 cities, Gore urged voters to consider the impact this year's election will have on the national economy. "Make no mistake about it," Gore said Monday in Muskegon, Mich., "On Nov. 7, prosperity itself will be on the ballot." \nThe vice president reiterated his commitment to fair tax cuts and a Patients' Bill of Rights. Taking a jab at Gov. Bush, Gore said this year's elections are an opportunity for voters to choose a leader who will represent all families and not just a few.\n"We can build our prosperity ... or we can squander this moment -- and lose the best chance in a generation to secure the next American century," Gore said.\nFrom the Great Lakes, Gore and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, flew west to Oregon. The two spoke again Monday in a Portland town hall-style meeting. Tuesday, Gore made his way down the West Coast through the traditionally Democratic state of California, where this year he and Bush have said they're confident their respective parties will claim victory.\nSouthern California Democrats welcomed Gore to the land of palm trees and movie stars with a victory rally in Los Angeles that afternoon. Tuesday night, Gore appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," joking with the same host who had donned a "Halloween Bush" mask in front of Bush himself the night before.\nThen Gore was off to Florida on a late-night cross country flight. Florida is a conservative-voting state with a large population of retired persons who have elected Bush's younger brother, Jeb, to the governorship. But recent Florida polls indicate that Gore is even with, or possibly slightly ahead of the elder Bush.\nAssistant political science professor Henry Hale said he thinks a Gore win in Florida would hurt Bush, but the state is not necessarily crucial to him. \n"I think, by now, most of the people who are politically aware have made up their minds, but in a tight race like this, I think last minute campaigning can have an effect," Hale said.