ARDEN CITY, N.Y. - Emerging from three weeks in the political wilderness, Bill Bradley pursued a new attack strategy yesterday in his struggle to overtake Vice President Al Gore in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Bradley, who tarred Gore for his ''finger-in-the-wind leadership'' in a speech here yesterday, has apparently decided to gamble vast resources on a bid to win the nonbinding primary next Tuesday in Washington state. Gore now enjoys a double-digit lead in that contest, but Bradley was scheduled to leave New York today for six days in Washington in hopes of prying away a victory, and some momentum, before the decisive round of primaries in more than a dozen states on March 7.
He also made it clear that his target in the days ahead will be Gore's character.
''Priorities come from conviction, not from polls, and his actions have been far different from his words,'' Bradley said of Gore at Adelphi University. ''What does he really believe?''
In a speech that laid out Bradley's campaign themes for the next two weeks before the March 7 primaries, the former New Jersey senator also asked voters not to confuse his charisma deficit with a lack of courage or conviction. The speech marked Bradley's fullest acknowledgment yet that his trademark reserve and low-wattage speaking style have stymied his ability to inspire interest in his sweeping agenda.
''I'm not flashy,'' Bradley said. ''I never have been. ... My passion for these things is deep in my heart and soul. I show it not by shouting or making a fist, but by the consistency of my beliefs, and by my never-ending fight to turn those beliefs into reality.''
Bradley's current reality is that he trails Gore in all the states that choose delegates on March 7. Bradley, whose campaign has struggled for a share of the spotlight since John McCain's victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary, has fallen behind Gore by double digits in every March 7 state except New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maryland.
Searching for an opening, Bradley and his strategists have targeted the Northwest, where Bradley plans to make a last-ditch stand in Washington amid polls that show him trailing there by more than 20 points. Washington voters cast ballots in a ''beauty contest'' on Tuesday. The results are not binding. Delegates to the national convention will not be chosen until party caucuses are held on March 7.
''We want to plant a flag and make one state a clear contest over the core differences between us,'' said Bradley's spokesman, Eric Hauser. ''If we can make up a chunk of ground in Washington, like we did in New Hampshire, we'll take that momentum and storm into March 7.''
Bradley made no secret of his plans to escalate his assault on Gore, which he launched with renewed vigor in a sharp debate in Harlem the night before. Bradley aides would not rule out that he would soon roll out his first attack ads against Gore, and they said a commercial featuring an endorsement by film director Spike Lee is in the works.
Bradley, in the Adelphi speech, argued that Gore has transformed himself from a conservative during his congressional career to a fair-weather fan of President Clinton's agenda. Bradley reiterated his criticism that Gore had opposed gun control initiatives, tougher tobacco regulations, and Medicaid funding for abortions while in Congress, only to switch positions as vice president.
''What do we really know about Al Gore?'' Bradley said. ''We know he's been a loyal No. 2, but what was he like on his own? He was a conservative.''
After Bradley's speech, Gore aides handed out news releases announcing the debut of a ''Bradley information bureau'' on Gore's Web site. The new feature, intended to highlight inconsistencies and misstatements by Bradley, quotes Bradley as saying, ''I won't spend my time attacking my opponent on votes from long ago.''
The ''information bureau'' notes that Bradley's criticism of Gore's congressional record has dated to 1979.
''Senator Bradley knows very well that Al Gore is prochoice and supports gun control,'' said Doug Hattaway, a Gore spokesman. ''He is trying desperately to create phony distinctions because he loses when voters focus on the real differences in this campaign.''
Bradley, in contrasting his political history with Gore's, argued that he has clung to his core convictions since he first ran for office in 1978. Outlining issue after issue of his agenda, he completed each proposal by saying, ''It's what I believe, it's what I've always fought for, and it is what I will do as president.''
The ''Rocky'' theme, an underdog anthem, filled the room as Bradley departed.
