ARASOTA - Both major presidential candidates eased their campaign schedules yesterday for debate preparation - Republican George W. Bush at his Texas ranch and Democrat Al Gore in Florida - with limited public events before tomorrow night's confrontation. Gore made a brief appearance at a Sarasota bookstore and said he was ''enjoying the process'' of preparing for the second debate. Today, Bush was heading to Gore's home state of Tennessee, like Florida a state where the race is surprisingly close. (AP)
WASHINGTON, D.C. Bush consultants eyed in tape probe
Federal agents investigating the anonymous mailing of Bush debate materials have subpoenaed corporate and campaign records to check the stories offered by Bush media consultant staff members on whom the FBI has focused. The agents have reached the point of trying to see whether explanations offered by these staff members hold up, a senior federal law enforcement official said yesterday, requesting anonymity. The case began when former Representative Tom Downey, who was helping Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore prepare for debates with GOP opponent George W. Bush, received a package Sept. 13 containing documents and a videotape that appeared to show Bush's debate preparations. Downey turned the material over to the FBI, which has since begun a criminal investigation. (AP)
GOP pours money into 17 key states
The Republican Party's money advantage is starting to show on the nation's airwaves. The party is pumping additional advertising dollars into 17 states and opening a new front in four others with commercials criticizing Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore on spending and education. Two new ads introduced by the Republican National Committee yesterday portray Gore as a budget-busting spender. Altogether, the GOP efforts are driving up the party's advertising budget on behalf of Bush at least to $4 million a week in 21 states, up from $2.5 million in 17 states. Democrats say the presidential debate season is a good time to husband advertising dollars. But they also say they can't keep up with this pace. (AP)
WASHINGTON Cheney raps Gore on military budget
UNION GAP - Dick Cheney says Al Gore's unwillingness to acknowledge the military's problems with money, morale and readiness makes him unfit to become commander in chief. ''We've got the best military in the world today, but the trend's in the wrong direction,'' Cheney, the Republican vice presidential candidate and former defense secretary, said yesterday, campaigning in central Washington. ''Either Al Gore doesn't know what's going on or he's choosing not to tell the truth. That's unacceptable in a man who would be commander in chief.'' Gore's campaign said the Democrat is committed to the military. (AP)
CALIFORNIA Buchanan airs his first TV ad
SACRAMENTO - Patrick J. Buchanan aired the first television ad of his Reform Party presidential campaign yesterday, decrying what he described as excessive immigration and the erosion of English as the nation's dominant language. ''Unrestricted immigration could make you a bilingual and a multilingual country,'' Buchanan said in an interview. ''Those countries don't seem to be staying together too well.'' (AP)
