As part of the John Kerry campaign's "continuing conversation with the American people," Elizabeth Edwards, wife of vice presidential candidate John Edwards, held a town hall-style meeting at Ohio University Southern Monday.

More than 200 people attended the hour-long event, many wearing Kerry/Edwards stickers. On the agenda: The war in Iraq, the economy and health care.

After her initial introduction, Edwards began the discussion by remarking on the recent deaths of 48 Iraqi military recruits and the discovery of 380 tons of explosives missing from Iraq storage facilities.

"This is another indication of our failure to manage in Iraq," she said.

Edwards, the daughter of a decorated Navy pilot, spoke of her father's service record as she blasted the current administration's handling of the conflict. She called for a plan that would include setting a definite deadline for U.S. troop withdrawal.

In addition, she outlined the need to equip the Iraqi people for self-rule by training troops with the help of international forces.

Edwards said that while her husband and Sen. Kerry are pleased that Saddam Hussein is in jail, a larger threat remains overlooked by the Bush administration.

"The truth of the matter is, they've paid so much attention to Iraq that they've forgotten about Osama Bin Laden," Edwards said.

She accused Bush of catering to the interests of big business, rather than the needs of citizens here at home. For instance, chemical plants (like the 12 in Ohio), present a special threat for attack. If one were to be hit, one million people could die, she said. But Bush yielded to the desires of the chemical companies who did not want to pay the out-of-pocket expense for added security.

"This president had a chance to fight for you and your safety," Edwards said. "He says that's the number one issue, he says that's the number one job of the president is fighting for your safety and instead of choosing your safety, he chose (to protect) the profits of chemical companies. Shame on him."

Edwards then focused her attention on one of the top domestic concerns this election year - the economy. While she conceded that Bush had created new jobs, she said most paid around $9,000 less per year than those that had been lost. Temporary, fast food and janitorial jobs were, in her words, "not the kinds of jobs the president should be proud of."

"Š$9,000 is going to buy a lot of that health care you need, a lot of that gasoline, a lot of that milk, a lot of that tuition," she said.

Edwards offered Kerry's plan for eliminating loopholes that give tax benefits to companies that outsource jobs, saying that Bush had not done enough to stop jobs from going overseas.

"This administration is unwilling to draw a line in the sand and say 'I'm going to fight for every American job,' " she said. "John Kerry has drawn that line, 'I'm going to fight for every American job.' "

Moving on to another hot issue, Edwards cited Ohio statistics as she made the case for Kerry's health care plan, saying that insurance premiums have risen 55 percent in the state during the last four years. In addition, 236,000 children in the state are without health insurance, she said.

During the town hall-style meeting, audience members were allowed to ask questions. Topics also included the ever-sensitive stem cell research, partial-birth abortion and gay marriage.

Edwards' replies were often lengthy and followed by rounds of applause. She said she did not give "sound byte answers." But listeners seemed to appreciate Edwards' explanations of the various issues, especially when she offered specific details.

"I think it was great," Linda Mann of South Point, said. "It really gave me some new ideas on the stem cell research and other things I was kindly foggy on. I'm for Kerry. I just thought she really explained it so that everyone would understand."

For Mann, health care is another concern. The retired schoolteacher said that her husband's premiums would be going up again soon, but Kerry's plan gave her reason to hope.

For others in the audience, the war in Iraq was the issue that hit closest to home.

"We have friends in the military now that are training to go over there now," Stacey Bradshaw, a 17-year-old senior from Ironton, said. "To think they're not going to have protective gear or armor to protect them in Iraq or Afghanistan, or wherever they're sent, that's horrible to think."

With only a week until the election, Edwards' visit Monday was likely to be one of the last by either campaign to the area.