OS ANGELES - Determined to convey a ''tolerant message of inclusiveness'' on the eve of the March 7 primaries, Governor George W. Bush addressed a gathering at a Los Angeles Holocaust museum, then donned a yarmulke to light a memorial candle before television cameras at a ceremony yesterday afternoon.
Bush, indeed, tried on many hats throughout the day. Immediately after touring the exhibit on Nazi death camps, he raced across Los Angeles to appear on ''The Tonight Show'' with Jay Leno, hoping to compensate for an awkward appearance on David Letterman's show last week. Earlier in the day, he shook hands with San Diego Republicans over the sounds of a steel drum band.
Bush opened ''The Tonight Show'' with a self-deprecating skit about his foreign policy pop quiz, in a taped sketch that featured Bush in his dressing room uttering foreign leaders' names.
''Who is Tony Blair?'' Bush said, with Leno looking on, appearing stunned. ''Who is Boris Yeltsin?''
Bush acted outraged, saying he was holding a briefing with an adviser. When the camera pulled back, it showed Alex Trebek, the host of the game show ''Jeopardy,'' in which all answers must be phrased as questions.
''All right, Governor, once again the category is foreign leaders. Who was the prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999?'' Trebek asked.
Bush answered, ''Who is Benjamin Netanyahu?''
But the main event yesterday was Bush's trip to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, purposely scheduled one week after his rival, Senator John S. McCain, gave a speech lambasting Christian conservative leaders Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell as intolerant. Despite its intention, that McCain speech has since brought the Arizonan severe criticism for being divisive, and has been widely blamed for the scope of Virginia primary loss.
Bush sought yesterday to capitalize on that misstep. Communications director Karen Hughes said the outreach to the Jewish community was ''designed to provide a stark contrast between the message of divisiveness McCain delivered last week and our message of unity.'' And as he wandered through the exhibit during a 40-minute tour, listening to historical accounts from the center's founder, Rabbi Marvin Hier, Bush appeared moved.
Afterward, during a brief speech, Bush called the museum ''a monument to the power of truth over falsehood.'' He also lauded the museum for not allowing anti-Semitism to go unexposed, saying: ''Tolerance can never be assumed, and it must always be taught.''
Bush did not respond to a member of the crowd who interjected: ''What about gay people?''
Bush and his wife also signed a guest book signed in 1988 by his father. The inscription by Vice President George Bush read: ''With solemn appreciation for the spirit of remembrance.'' Yesterday, his son wrote: ''God bless this world!''
With the Republican nomination in his sights, Bush and his advisers also continued to map out a campaign fund-raising plan to raise an additional $5 million to $10 million before the party convention in late summer.
Bush, who has spent some $60 million of the $70 million he raised early on, once hoped to sail into the general election with his war chest brimming. With most of it spent battling McCain, Bush now faces a delicate dilemma if he becomes the nominee: challenging Vice President Al Gore on campaign finance abuses while raising millions more for himself.
Although Bush will automatically receive millions in federal funds if he becomes the nominee, he is leaving nothing to chance, scheduling between 10 and 12 fund-raising events that he will attend in upcoming months, advisers said.
Bush will appear at fund-raisers in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Florida, among other places, his national finance chairman, Don Evans, said yesterday. He is planning to raise money in Illinois at an event next Thursday. And behind the scenes, Bush fund-raisers are already working aggressively to raise money through direct mailings, Internet solicitations, and surrogate fund-raising events.
Evans insisted the campaign had always planned on raising funds after March 7. ''We have yet to tap the vast number of Americans that are starved for leadership. It takes a long time to communicate with people all across America,'' Evans said.
He continued: ''It is safe to say we do have, and we will continue to have, what we need through the convention.'' But, asked how things would have been different without McCain's potent challenge, Evans said, chuckling: ''Would we have spent less? We probably would have spent less.''
Bush planned to return late last night to his home in Austin, where he hoped to hold a victory rally today.
