LA CROSSE, Wis. -- On the eve of the crucial Wisconsin primary, one Democratic hopeful confidently condemned President George W. Bush's employment policies while another found himself without a campaign director.

Struggling candidate Howard Dean revealed Monday that national campaign chairman Steve Grossman has departed, but the former Vermont governor would not disclose the circumstances surrounding the change. Grossman earlier said he would leave the campaign if his candidate finished poorly in Wisconsin.

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"I absolutely don't feel betrayed by Grossman," Dean said at an appearance in La Crosse, Wis. "I consider him to be a friend."

A defiant Dean had said earlier that he would remain in the race despite an 0-16 record in the presidential primaries and caucuses. He once called Wisconsin a "must-win," but has since recanted that statement. Aides say they have urged Dean to abandon the race if he loses Wisconsin.

Polls show Dean running in third place in Wisconsin behind obvious front-runner John Kerry and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.

The state's primary -- and its 72 delegates -- has grown in importance in recent weeks, becoming to many analysts a way for Kerry to shed all or some of his rivals or for his rivals to slow the Massachusetts senator's momentum.

Kerry, who has momentum on his side after winning 14 of 16 Democratic contests, spent the last day before voting condemning the president's employment policies -- redirecting his focus for now from his distant Democratic rivals.

"We don't need a president who just says, 'Gentlemen start your engines,"' Kerry said in a reference to Bush's attendance at Friday's Daytona 500. "We need a president who says, 'America, let's start our economy and put people back to work."'

Edwards -- who picked up a major Wisconsin endorsement with the backing of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the state's largest and most influential newspaper, on Monday -- spent Monday insisting there are "substantive" differences between his stand on the issues and those of Kerry.

"I was against NAFTA," he said. "Governor Dean and Senator Kerry were for it. There are differences."

Dean Campaign Chief To Back 'Nominee'

Grossman had said earlier that if Dean stumbled in Wisconsin, he would seek to convert his grass-roots network into a movement that helps expand the party and elect the Democratic nominee.

According to broadcast reports, Grossman has said he will back Kerry.

At a debate Sunday night at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Dean said that if Kerry wins the nomination, he'll support him.

"But I intend to win the nomination," Dean said.

Monday morning in Milwaukee, Dean reaffirmed the notion to television station WISN.

"No, Wisconsin is not it. We're gonna go on from here, and we're gonna do well here," Dean said.

Dean Unscathed In Milwaukee Debate

The 90-minute debate in Milwaukee Sunday night came ahead of the primary that may be the last stand for the Massachusetts senator's rivals -- particularly Edwards and Dean -- to slow Kerry's momentum.

But Edwards and Dean say they're in the race for the long haul.

At Sunday's debate, Kerry said he's ready for whatever Republicans throw at him, at once beginning a statement with "When I'm president ..." Edwards quickly resisted the implication that Kerry has the nomination wrapped up, saying "Not so fast, John Kerry."

Kerry, Edwards and Dean joined the Rev. Al Sharpton and U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio at the debate. In a change from previous debates, the Democratic rivals spent more time attacking the Bush administration than they did attacking one another. The group covered everything from Osama Bin Laden to the federal budget.

Kerry focused his criticism on Bush at the debate, saying that every Democrat running has a better economic and education plan than the president.

Sharpton accused the president of lying about intelligence out of prewar Iraq.

Kerry is hoping to win Wisconsin to force his rivals out of the race and put their support behind him. After wins in Tennessee and Virginia last week, Kerry won the backing of ex-Gen. Wesley Clark, who had hoped for better finishes in the southern states.

Milwaukee Newspaper Lauds Edwards

The Journal Sentinel praised Edwards' positive message in Monday's editions, a day after the newspaper co-sponsored a candidate debate at Marquette University in Milwaukee.

The newspaper noted Edwards is an underdog to Kerry but praised Edwards' message criticizing "two Americas" -- one for the wealthy and one for everyone else. The endorsement also noted Edwards' pledge to roll back Bush's tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers and use the money in part for education and health care programs.

The paper also noted Edwards has emphasized the nation's jobless recovery and the loss of manufacturing jobs.