ST. LOUIS, Missouri- In a debate rematch Friday, President Bush defended his invasion of Iraq and said "I wasn't happy when we found there weren't weapons" that prompted his administration to go to war against Saddam Hussein. Democratic challenger John Kerry responded that Bush had made the world more dangerous "because the president didn't make the right judgments." The commander in chief insisted that Saddam posed a unique threat and the world was safer without him in power. But Kerry answered that Bush's handling of the war had left Iraq in chaos. Twenty-five days before the election, Bush and Kerry confronted each other aggressively in a town-hall session before an audience of 140 likely voters. Perched on stools, the candidates were quizzed in the gymnasium at Washington University in St. Louis. They paced the stage as they answered the questions chosen by moderator Charlie Gibson. Unlike last week's first debate, which focused on national security issues, Friday's faceoff was open to all subjects. Criticizing the president's decision to invade Iraq, Kerry said, "If we'd use smart diplomacy, we could have saved $200 billion and an invasion of Iraq and right now Osama bin Laden might be in jail or dead. That's the war on terror." The debate came a day after the chief U.S. arms inspector reported that Saddam did not have illicit weapons nor the means to make them. Bush said, "We didn't find out he didn't have weapons till we got there." Weapons of mass destruction was the central rationale for the war that has cost more than 1,000 American lives. The debate - the second of three - opened with a question to Kerry about whether he was too wishy-washy. Kerry turned that question into an attack against Bush, saying the president "didn't find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, so he's really turned his campaign into a weapon of mass deception" by claiming that the four-term Massachusetts senator had changed his mind when he had not. "I can see why people think he changes a lot," Bush retorted, "because he does." He pointed out that Kerry had said he had voted for an $87 billion appropriation for Iraq and Afghanistan before he voted against it. Kerry used the opportunity to point out that the nation has suffered a net job loss under Bush. Expanding his criticism of Bush on Iraq, Kerry said the president had diverted resources from the war against terror and also ignored a threat from Iran as it accelerated its nuclear program. "It's a threat. It's a huge threat. It has grown while the president was preoccupied with Iraq," the Democratic challenger said. After stumbling in the first debate with a scowling performance, Bush sought to regain his footing, reassure Republicans and throw Kerry on the defensive.

Kerry, meanwhile, hoped to build on the momentum of their first encounter, which gave him a lift in the polls. Responding to criticism from Kerry in their second debate, Bush said, "That answer made me almost want to scowl." He went on to accuse the senator of advocating a policy that was "naive and dangerous" for bilateral talks between the United States and North Korea rather than the six-nation negotiations set in motion by the Bush administration. Bush also set to lay to rest persistent rumors that the war in Iraq would require the nation to return to a military draft. "We're not going to have a draft. Period," the president said. The Republican incumbent accused Kerry of denigrating the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq with his claim that the United States is shouldering 90 percent of the costs and casualties. "We've got 30 countries there," Bush said, his voice rising. He mentioned Britain, Italy, Poland as well as other allies. "Mr. President, countries are leaving the coalition, not joining," Kerry said, asserting that eight countries are pulling out their troops from post-war Iraq. Asserting that Kerry would not be a steadfast leader in Iraq, Bush said, "This war is a long, long war. It requires steadfast determination." The questions were picked from queries submitted by a pool of more than 100 likely voters chosen by the Gallup organization. Gallup described the audience as uncommitted voters who leaned toward Bush or Kerry but could change their minds, as well as some voters who said they were undecided. The questions were submitted in advance, and people were prohibited from asking follow-ups. Asked why he had blocked the importation of cheaper drugs from Canada, Bush replied, "I haven't yet. I just want to make sure they're safe." He said there were other ways to make drugs cheaper, such as getting generic drugs to the market quicker. He also said that prescription drug cards can lower costs. Kerry said that Bush, at a campaign debate four years ago, said he would allow imports from Canada. "The president just didn't level with you," Kerry said. When Bush mentioned that former President Clinton had not allowed Canadian drug imports, Kerry seized on Clinton's success in turning budget deficits into budget surpluses. "We did something you don't know how to do: We balanced the budget, we paid down the debt of the nation two years in a row. We created 23 million new jobs," Kerry said. "He's added more debt to the debt of the United States in four years than from all the way to George Bush to Ronald Reagan put together. Go figure." Trying to turn the tables on Kerry, Bush said, "He's proposing $2.2 trillion in new spending. ... He's going to tax everybody here to fund his program. That's just the reality." Bush raised a familiar argument that Kerry had chosen a trial lawyer, Sen. John Edwards, as his running mate, arguing that was a symbol of the Democrats' opposition to reforming the legal system to lower health care costs. Edwards made millions as a trial lawyer. "We support tort reform," Kerry said. "We will be able to get a fix that has eluded everybody else because we know how to do it." AP