The Bush campaign began airing tough new television commercials that ridicule Dukakis and say he has "opposed virtually every defense system we developed."

The ad uses videotape of the helmeted Dukakis in the turret of an M-1 tank, a ride the Democrat took last month in an attempt to show toughness on defense issues--but which critics said made him look silly.

Dukakis spokeswoman Lorraine Voles called thead "more distortions from the Bush campaign."

The Dukakis campaign dispatched dozens ofworkers from his national headquarters in Bostoninto the field, along with more than 1300 newvolunteers from Washington. The campaign said 60percent of the headquarters staff was beingassigned to campaign duties in target states.

Among the other volunteers are students,congressional aides and Washington attorneystaking leaves for the final three weeks of thecampaign.

Public polls ranged from bad to worse forDukakis, though his aides pointed to what theysaid was a new Harris poll putting the gap at 9points. Barbara Winokur, a spokeswoman for LouisHarris & Associates, said Harris would release apoll today but declined to comment on its resultsin advance.

Two other surveys found Bush leads of aboutthat size. One, of 1002 registered voters polledSaturday through Monday, put the race at 49-39;another, of 1201 likely voters Friday throughMonday, put it at 49-40.

Both were ongoing tracking polls--in which thenewest day's result is added to several days beingcovered and the oldest day's is dropped--done byKRCCommunications Research in Cambridge, Mass.They had three point error margins.

Republican vice presidential candidate DanQuayle traveled by bus caravan through smallIllinois towns, accompanied by Gov. JamesThompson. Quayle said he felt "a specialobligation...to help George Bush define the needsof a new generation of Americans, theirchallenges, their responses."

"With George Bush you get experience," the41-year-old Quayle said. "With me you get thefuture, the future of America."

Bentsen, in Los Angeles, denounced Bush'scampaign attacks on Dukakis as "an utterly viciousonslaught of distortion and characterassassination." He said the Democrats have "been alittle too flabbergasted sometimes to make aproper response."

"They don't seem to mind if what they say isuntrue," he said. "They don't seem to worry ifit's misleading. They don't seem to care that whatthey do is downright mean. If it sounds good, sayit. If it sells, package it. If it looks good,nominate it.