ANCHESTER, N.H. - George W. Bush and Steve Forbes exchanged harsh words last night about each other's plans to save Social Security, while Senator John McCain repeatedly sought to use humor to deflect questions about whether he has an uncontrollable temper.
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REPUBLICANS
Date: Dec. 2, 1999, Manchester, N.H.
Participating: Gary Bauer, George Bush, Steve Forbes, Orrin Hatch, Alan Keyes, John McCain.
 GOP rivals get a crucial screen test
HOW IT WENT OVER
Most yawn at presidential campaign
For some New Hampshire viewers, Bush fails test
ANALYSIS
Bush, McCain, Forbes in place
TRUTH SQUAD
Few gaping errors, but slips and hype in GOP matchup
EXCERPTS
Excerpts of GOP candidates remarks
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The nationally televised Republican presidential forum, the first attended by front-runner Bush, was a livelier than expected matchup of six candidates, an event widely viewed as a crucial political test less than two months before votes are cast here in the first-primary state.
In one of the most dramatic moments, Forbes repeated a charge that he aired in hastily recorded television commercials earlier in the day, accusing Bush of ''betrayal'' for considering an increase in the retirement age for Social Security benefits. Asked whether it was fair to accuse Bush of betrayal for merely considering the idea, Forbes responded tartly.
''What are they going to raise it to now, governor?'' Forbes asked. ''70? 75? ...`Considering' is code for `we're gonna do it.'''
Bush, in a carefully planned riposte, read a long quote about the need to consider raising the retirement age for Social Security. Then, with a dramatic flourish, Bush identified the author of the comment as Forbes. Bush did not say when Forbes made the comment, but minutes later his aides distributed a 1977 column penned by Forbes in his family's magazine.
At the end of the exchange, however, Bush wouldn't back away from his suggestion that raising the retirement age should be considered, although he stressed that he wouldn't impose such a change on current retirees and those about to retire.
Forbes, for his part, dismissed the relevance of his 22-year-old quote, saying it is now clear to him that the way to reform Social Security is to allow contributions to go into dedicated accounts that can be partly invested in the stock market.
''During my young and irresponsible days, I was writing magazine columns,'' Forbes said after the event, in a satiric swipe at Bush's standard response to questions about whether he ever used illegal drugs.
In a possible boost for Forbes in New Hampshire, The Union-Leader newspaper announced last night that it would endorse him for president today.
The editorial, written by publisher Joseph W. McQuaid in the newspaper's characteristically acidic style, slammed Bush as ''a nice guy but an empty suit,'' and dismissed McCain as willing to say anything for attention.
McCain, who has been surging in the New Hampshire polls and has based his campaign largely on having a strong performance here, was immediately put in the uncomfortable position of being repeatedly questioned about suggestions that he has an explosive temper.
At one point, WMUR-TV moderator Karen Brown asked McCain bluntly why those who know him best in his home state of Arizona and in Congress ''seem to like you the least.''
McCain, as he often does, responded with a joke. ''A comment like that really makes me mad.'' But McCain went on to contrast questions about his temperament with the fact of his popularity on his home turf - he was reelected with 70 percent of the vote last November. He also conceded, as he often does in campaign appearances, that many things going on in Washington, such as the proliferation of special interest money, do make him mad.
''Anybody who wants the status quo in Washington...I'm not their guy,'' McCain said.
Later, McCain turned a question about whether he would reappoint Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan into a laugh line: ''I would not only reappoint Mr. Greenspan. If Mr. Greenspan were to die, God forbid, I would do like the movie `Weekend at Bernie's' and stuff him and prop him up.''
Though McCain was pressed hard about his temper and his lack of endorsements from fellow senators, Bush stuck up for McCain, saying, ''He is a good man, he's a good friend.''
Bush, on the other hand, was the recipient of barbs throughout the night. Forbes, referring to Bush's absence at previous forums, said ''It's a delight to have everyone here, including George Bush. No one is AWOL.'' But despite the jabs and pokes, Bush never faltered during the 90-minute meeting. ''He showed he could take a punch and give it back,'' said Massachusetts Governor Paul Cellucci, a Bush ally who attended the event.
The forum was especially important for the three candidates lagging far behind in the polls: talk show host Alan Keyes, former Reagan aide Gary Bauer and Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah.
Keyes, who is black, reiterated his criticism of the media, which he believes have largely ignored his campaign out of racial animus. He blamed his low standing in opinion surveys on ''phony polls,'' adding, ''there has been a continuation of the blackout, which means you keep the black out.''
Keyes noted that he was ahead of several other people at the forum; a new Globe/WBZ-TV poll shows Keyes with 5 percent, Bauer with 1 percent and Hatch with 0 percent.
Keyes at times also made his point in ways that underscored his background. At one point, he derided Bush's tax cut proposal, saying, ''They act like we should get down on our knees and thank Massa Bush that he lets us keep a little more of our money... the right reform is to get rid of the 16th Amendment and get rid of the income tax entirely.
Bauer, whose adamant opposition to abortion is less popular here than in the first-caucus state of Iowa, seized upon a Reaganesque question put to him: Is the country better off today than it was before President Clinton took office?
Bauer acknowledged that the economy is good, ''but in other ways, we are hurting. The culture is more coarse now. The breakdown of values continues.''
Hatch cited his legislative prowess and experience on matters ranging from antitrust to the Internet to the judiciary.
Asked about taxation of the Internet, Hatch said he does not believe brick-and-mortar stores that charge sales taxes will be hurt by the rise of the untaxed online sales. Citing the experience of his wife, Elaine, he added, ''I'm not sure my wife is going to buy everything off the Internet and not go to the stores.''
At the end of the debate, Hatch criticicized the debate format, in which moderators posed questions and the candidates were not supposed to interact with each other. He condemned the format as ''stilted'' and asked the other candidates to join him in a true, open debate.
The Internet debate dominated much of the latter third of the forum.
''I disagree with those that suggest the Internet is sacrosanct, that it is a God that can't be touched,'' said Bauer, complaining about pornographic Web sites.
But none of the candidates was willing to call for taxing the Internet, preferring to allow it to operate unfettered commercially.
''The Internet is the greatest thing that's happened to the world since the invention of the printing press,'' McCain said, vehemently rejecting taxes on goods and services sold electronically.
The candidates, with the exception of Hatch, also took turns criticizing Bush for his $1.7 trillion tax-cut plan.
Bauer said he and Forbes, who both prefer a flat tax, agree that Bush's plan ''is too timid.'' Said Bauer, ''It's the equivalent of that worn-out phrase of moving deck chairs around on the Titanic.''
Hatch, however, noted that Bush's tax cut is larger than the one advocated by congressional Republicans, saying, ''good going,'' by way of praise.
Bush seemed unfazed by the criticism that has met his proposal, unveiled earlier this week. ''For some, it's not enough,'' he said. ''For some, my tax cut is too big, which leads me to think I'm doing something right.''
Bush was also questioned on his ability to conduct foreign policy. In a recent television interview with of Boston's WHDH-TV, Bush was unable to name three of four foreign leaders, prompting many people to suggest he could not be trusted with world affairs.
Bush, responding to a question about his knowledgeability last night, said he reads widely. He also said he knows how to lead and he's shown good judgment as governor of Texas. He repeatedly mentioned that if Texas were a nation, it would have the 11th largest economy in the world. And he said he is the only candidate with experience as a chief executive officer and has conducted foreign policy with Mexico, building ''bridges of trust.''
He also took a tough line on relations with Iraq, saying he would brook no misbehavior by Saddam Hussein. ''I wouldn't ease the sanctions, and darned sure wouldn't negotiate with him, and if I found he was developing weapons of mass destruction I would take him out...Take out the weapons of mass destruction.''
The six candidates arrived at the debate with much to prove. With Bush participating in his first debate with the other candidates, the event became the biggest spectacle of the 2000 race to date.
The WMUR studios, which have grown along with the prominence of New Hampshire's primary, were transformed into campaign central during the day.
