T. LOUIS - Through three debates, through scores of questions, through dozens of exchanges, they have engaged in sharp conflict as politicians. Last night, finally, they emerged in sharp relief as men.
And so the image that was burned into viewers' memories from a St. Louis fieldhouse was unmistakable: Vice President Al Gore is a fighter. Governor George W. Bush is a conciliator.
The truth is far more complicated, to be sure; both candidates are men of nuance. But before the final prime-time audience of the campaign, Gore sought to portray himself as a crusader for the rights and prerogatives of the middle class, the poor, and the striving, even as Bush sought to portray himself as a political figure who can cut through the ropes of partisanship.
With less than three weeks remaining until Election Day, both candidates foreshadowed the course they will take as the campaign, which began more than a year ago, enters its final turn and hurtles to its November conclusion.
In body language and verbal language alike, the two men described political positions that differed little but displayed political styles that couldn't have differed more.
Those differing styles were evident in just eight words, expressed at the very beginning of a debate that, through its format, forced the candidates to address the real questions of real voters in real time.
Bush emphasized his commitment to ''put partisanship aside.'' Gore vowed, in a reprise of his Los Angeles acceptance speech, ''I will fight for you.''
Those differing styles, too, were evident in the way they occupied the space and, remarkably, even sparred for physical domination of the stage.
The vice president's steps in the governor's direction showed Gore's determination to show an aggressive side. That contrasts dramatically with his stiffer, pedagogical side that has long been fodder for cabaret comedians.
At the same time, Bush's posture - standing at ease at a moment of high tension - showed the Republican nominee's determination to display a personal sense of comfort. That contrasts dramatically with the discomfort with policy details that itself has been fodder for late-night wiseguys.
The fighter and the conciliator - they played their roles throughout the evening. Gore declared a willingness to battle for the people he seeks to lead. Bush declared a willingness to work for results for the people he seeks to lead.
That is a distinction with a difference. It underlines a subtle distinction in approach of the two men, one that until last night had remained beneath the surface.
With the tension between the two men rising, Bush said to his opponent and to the audience at home: ''We've had enough fighting. It's time to lead.'' But Gore wanted to fight, and in a moment's time he was a pugilist again.
Throughout the evening, the two seemed more accustomed to each other, more resigned to the fact that they might be able to change people's perceptions and maybe even their votes but that they could not change themselves.
As a result, Bush's pauses last night came across as moments of humanity, not of desperation, fumbling for a phrase. Last night Gore's discourses came across as a display of factual command, not an annoying display of erudition.
Last night, Gore sought to draw distinctions between the two parties and between the two candidates, particularly on affirmative action, taxes, and health care. Last night, Bush sought to show that he can bring warring sides together and ''get something positive done on behalf of the people.''
Even so, for 90 minutes the two contenders struggled - to put their best face forward, to portray their rival in the worst possible light, to score debating points, and to appeal to the elusive ''undecided voters'' in the ever-shrinking group of ''swing states.''
And this time, unlike the previous debates, the contenders seemed comfortable in their roles as candidates.
No longer were they trying out for the role, as they seemed to be doing two weeks ago in Boston. No longer were they trying to fine-tune their appeals, as they seemed to be doing last week in Winston-Salem. Last night they were just Al Gore and George Bush, standing before the American people, shorn of artifice, on their own, aching for connection with an electorate that is, itself, aching for a reason to choose one over the other.
