Washington: Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry, who had earlier denounced as "traitors" CEOs of US companies outsourcing to countries like India and China, acknowledged that the practice is here to stay but promised a level-playing field for the American worker.

"Outsourcing is going to happen. I have acknowledged that. In union halls across the country, I have had shop stewards stand up and say, ''Will you promise me you are going to stop all this outsourcing?' And I have looked them in the eye and I have said, "No, I can't do that," Kerry said during the third and last Presidential debate with George W Bush last night (Oct 13, 2004).

He, however, promised that he is going to ensure a level-playing field for the American worker and fight for his job as hard as he fights for his own job.

"What I can promise you is that I will make the playing field as fair as possible, that I will, for instance, make certain that with respect to the tax system that you as a worker in America are not subsidizing the loss of your job," he said.