Washington ? Moving on after congressional authorization of military force against Iraq, President Bush and Democratic leaders are pursuing separate paths heading toward the Nov. 5 elections.

Bush and his diplomatic team, a strong, bipartisan vote in hand, turned to the United Nations, struggling for international support to force Saddam Hussein to disarm or face war.

The president is also stepping up his personal diplomacy. He’ll confer at the White House on Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and later this month at his Texas ranch with Chinese President Jiang Zemin and in Mexico with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is joining other world leaders for the annual Asian-Pacific economic conference.

Democratic congressional leaders, meanwhile, convened an economic forum Friday on Capitol Hill to highlight what they see as the shortcomings of the economy under Bush’s stewardship.

And Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., cited statistics that will undoubtedly make their way into Democratic ads this fall: More than 2 million people have lost their jobs since Bush took office, while the stock market has lost $5.7 trillion in value in the worst bear market since the Great Depression.

“A year ago, Americans were afraid to open their mail because of anthrax,” Daschle said. “Now they’re scared to open their mail because they don’t want to see what the stock market has done to their college funds and their retirement savings.”

The White House denounced the forum as a publicity stunt, arguing that long-term economic trends are good and that the Democratic-controlled Senate has foiled administration efforts to get things moving in the short term.

“Where is job-creating terrorism insurance?” asked White House press secretary Ari Fleischer. “Where is homeland security legislation? Where is pension protection? Where is the budget? Where’re the appropriations bills? Where’s the fiscal restraint?”

As candidates scramble across the country before Election Day, Democrats plan to use the slumping economy to attack a variety of Republican proposals, particularly one to allow workers to invest some of their Social Security funds in the stock market.

Bush, meanwhile, will be hitting the campaign trail hard, raising money and asking voters to keep the House in Republican hands and return the Senate to the GOP.

Daschle, however, urged Bush to cancel his political travel and focus instead on the economy.

“Show the American people that you have an economic plan,” Daschle said.

The White House scoffed at the idea, saying Republicans have as much right to campaign as Democrats.

In seeking to turn the election on the economy, Democrats must counter public opinion polls showing that many voters do not blame Bush for the current slump, instead attributing it to the business cycle or the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

But Democrats predicted the polls would soon change.

“Within 14 to 15 days before the election, people will then focus on the economy, and that’s when they’re going to blame George Bush rightfully so,” said Democratic National Chairman Terry McAuliffe.

Republicans, nonetheless, served notice that they plan to fault the Democratic-controlled Senate for failing to cooperate with the president.

“Americans who are worried about economic security don’t need reminders from Democrats, they need action,” said Republican National Chairman Marc Racicot.