ORTLAND, Ore. - Confronting an issue he rarely speaks to directly, George W. Bush yesterday challenged his Democratic rival to condemn President Clinton for his past behavior, saying Vice President Al Gore ''ought to speak out'' on the impeachment scandal if he is truly bothered by it.
Bush, who has long pledged not to make personal attacks but makes veiled references to Clinton in every speech, said Gore could yet restore the moral dignity of the White House. But he called on the vice president to distance himself from Clinton, and in doing so revealed eagerness to bind Gore to the personal behavior of the president.
''Either you're part of the administration, or you're not part of the administration,'' Bush said. ''If he's got a problem with what went on in the past, he ought to explain what it is.''
Gore has shown his dismay and disgust at the Monica S. Lewinsky scandal to some extent, both by distancing himself from the president and in selecting as his running mate the first Democratic senator to condemn Clinton in public. At the same time, Bush generally declines to discuss the scandal explicitly, preferring instead to describe his own moral values.
His remarks yesterday came in response to a long mea culpa Clinton delivered the day before, in which he described his spiritual state at a church in Illinois and urged voters not to hold his moral failings against Gore. Bush, in his reaction, underscored a dilemma for his campaign: How to link Gore to the scandal, and yet to appear above the fray.
Strolling among reporters on his campaign plane as it idled on a runway in Sacramento, Bush was immediately peppered with questions about Clinton's remarks. By his side was Senator John S. McCain, the Arizona Republican and former campaign foe, who was traveling with the candidate for a second day. In a 10-minute conversation before the plane took off for Portland, the two men said they had not seen Clinton's remarks, but offered their views anyway.
Later in the day, Bush addressed more than 1,000 supporters in a partially-filled gymnasium at the University of Portland, a Catholic school in a heavily Democratic area. The appearance in this relatively liberal state - which has rejected the Republican presidential candidate in every election since 1984 - was part of a three-day tour through Democrat-leaning states, an effort which Bush hopes will demonstrate his commitment to reclaiming moderate sections of the country.
Each state visited ''has a Republican senator, and we feel those are states Governor Bush has an opportunity to carry,'' Bush communications director Karen Hughes said.
Bush was campaigning as two new polls showed he retained a lead over Gore, though the margin was narrowing. A CNN/Time magazine poll showed the Texas governor leading 53 percent to 39 percent over Gore among likely voters, down from a 16-point advantage immediately after the GOP convention. And a Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Bush leading 52 percent to 43 percent, down from a 14-point advantage during the convention. The polls had a 3- to 3.5-point margin of error.
Last night, after attending his sole public event of the day, Bush was scheduled to attend his second fund-raiser in two days, raising approximately $300,000 in regulated, so-called ''hard money'' for the Washington State Republican Party. Bush said a day earlier he would not expect McCain to attend unregulated ''soft-money'' fund-raisers, given the senator's commitment to overhauling the way campaigns are financed.
Today, Bush is planning to visit McCain's Arizona ranch, part of an ongoing reconciliation that has at times seemed more symbolic than genuine.
But as the two men stood together yesterday, they seemed somewhat more at ease. Although Bush dominated the discussion, McCain was clearly eager to back the Texas governor up whenever he could.
Asked about his use of the Lewinsky scandal as an issue in the campaign, Bush said he would speak to it only in response to comments from disillusioned voters.
''All I do is make a pledge,'' Bush said. ''I don't think President Clinton is an issue as we go forward. I'm just going to remind people of what they expect from their leaders. ... And I'm going to keep saying it.'' At the end of every stump speech, Bush delivers the same vow, saying that when he takes his oath of office he will promise to ''uphold the dignity and honor of the office to which I have been elected, so help me God.''
At times, Bush has said the vow is not intended as a reference to Clinton. But yesterday, he conceded it was part of a strategy to draw a contrast between himself and the president. He also insisted it was not a cornerstone of his campaign.
''It's one thing I say in a litany of things I'm going to do,'' Bush said. ''I repeat to you what happens a lot: People show me a picture and they say, `Don't let me down.' They are saying that for a reason. They have felt let down.''
Gore limited his remarks to gratitude for Clinton's support. ''I appreciate what the president said. He's said it before,'' the vice president said on Fox News. ''I think that he also went on to say that this election, as all elections, is about the future and not the past and I very much agree with that.''
