CLEVELAND -- The campaigns are spinning up for Tuesday night's debate between Vice President Cheney and Sen. John Edwards in Cleveland.

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Traditionally, the vice-presidential debate is just a sideshow. But both campaigns said they expect high interest because of the tightness of the presidential race.

Bush campaign spokesman Brian Jones said the vice president is up against a tough opponent in Edwards, a trial lawyer who's won millions of dollars for his clients.

But then Kerry backers said that Cheney, with decades of Washington experience, is a seasoned debater, too -- and bested Joseph Lieberman four years ago.

However, Kerry adviser Michael Meehan said this time, Cheney appears as "chief architect" of failed Bush administration policies.

At the same time, the Bush camp says Edwards will have to defend contradictory views on Iraq and a big-government vision at home.

The vice-presidential debate will be held Tuesday night at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. On Friday, Sen. John Kerry and President George W. Bush will face off again in a town-hall style debate at Washington University in St. Louis.

The debates come at a time when the presidential race seems to be tightening. A Pew Research Center poll released Monday showed Bush has a slight lead over John Kerry. Among likely voters, Bush led Kerry 49 to 44 percent.

Two other polls also show a close race. Bush and Kerry are running even at 47 percent apiece in a CBS-New York Times poll. And Bush was slightly up in an ABC-Washington Post poll out Monday.