hile most of the political coverage of the past two weeks was focusing on George W. Bush and John McCain battling it out in the South Carolina Republican primary, Democratic front-runner Al Gore was decisively outpunching rival Bill Bradley in the race for the Democratic nomination.
Gore has been gaining so much ground on Bradley that some analysts have gone so far as to say, at this still-early stage, that the former New Jersey senator has already ''self-destructed,'' even before the coming New York and California primaries.
Only a few weeks ago, Bradley's star was rising faster and shining brighter than Gore's, prompting media reports and various polls to suggest that he could beat Gore.
Even after he lost in New Hampshire, Bradley was still considered a serious threat because Gore's victory was by only 4 points. In retrospect, it appears that 4-point margin was even more significant than McCain's 19-point New Hampshire upset win over Bush
McCain's win gave him a big boost, and made it a closer race than most analysts anticipated. It's still a race on the GOP side; no one pretends to know who will win. But on the Democratic side, Gore is increasingly viewed as the all-but-certain nominee.
After New Hampshire, Bradley took a more mean-spirited approach, disappointing some of his own supporters, who came to see him as just another politician, rather than an outsider and a man of integrity.
This disappointment is reflected in the polls, which show Gore increasingly ahead both nationally and in key states holding primaries on March 7 and March 14.
Even in New York, where he starred as a basketball player for the New York Knicks, Bradley has run into problems, at least according to Ed Koch, the former mayor. Koch says Bradley's campaign has lost its ''intensity'' there. He noted that if Bradley doesn't win the March 7 primary, ''he's finished.'' Koch did add, ''So I hope he wins New York.''
Although Koch said Bradley can ''recoup'' his intensity, Gore continues to pull ahead, winning endorsements from abortion rights groups, gay rights groups, and labor groups. Gore is pulling so far ahead that one writer described his intense campaigning as an effort not to beat Bradley, but to ''bury'' him.
Bradley has acknowledged that he has to win a number of states in the early March primaries in order to keep his presidential bid alive. But if California, where he is currently 40 points behind in the polls, is any indication of how he is faring, that may not be possible.
Bradley's campaign has been also hampered by the way McCain has dominated the media spotlight and the public's attention for the past few weeks. As McCain's campaign moved upward, Bradley's continued to sink.
As for Gore, more than a few pundits thought his effort would be hurt more than helped by President Clinton and Hillary Rodhan Clinton, who is running for the US senate from New York. But the opposite appears to be true. Clinton gave Gore plaudits during his State of the Union speech, and Gore has used Clinton's name to good advantage during debates and campaign stops. Meanwhile, Gore and Hillary Clinton teamed up last week in New York, and received strong favorable reactions from their respective constituencies.
Gore is very much on McCain's mind. McCain has said on more than a few occasions that he would beat Gore ''like a drum,'' with no mention of Bradley. Bush has also mentioned Clinton and Gore in negative terms, but has not mentioned Bradley at all.
In fact, McCain appears to be attracting independent voters away from Bradley more than from Gore, which may be another reason why the gap is growing between the two Democrats.
Bradley supporters could argue that the GOP contenders are playing up Gore because they feel he would be an easier opponent to beat in a general election. But recent polls show that, in a head-to-head contest, Gore and Bush are almost dead even. It's probable that the GOP contenders also read the polls and believe that Gore, not Bradley, is going to be the Democratic nominee.
Still, as Koch said, Bradley has time to turn his campaign around and re-create the momentum he had. But, unless Gore stumbles, and stumbles badly, it's going to be very difficult for Bradley to overtake him. Bradley knows that he must win New York to stay in the race. Gore, however, could afford to lose it, as long as he wins California, where he holds a solid lead.
Barring big upheavals or surprises, all Gore has to do now is show up at debates and shake hands on the campaign trail. But he knows that in a presidential campaign, as in a basketball game, the lead can change unexpectedly. That's why Gore is running not to beat Bradley, but to bury him.
Robert A. Jordan is a Globe columnist.
