PRINGDALE, Pa. - The two major presidential candidates worked opposite ends of the country yesterday. Al Gore reaffirmed his devotion to environmentalism at an appearance in Pennsylvania, while George W. Bush proclaimed in Washington state, ''There's a new commander in chief coming.''
Speaking to several hundred people on a lawn near the Springdale home of Rachel Carson, Gore likened himself to the legendary environmentalist as he warned of the dangers of global warming. He said Carson's 1962 book, ''Silent Spring,'' which exposed the dangers of pesticides, was a major lesson for him.
Carson was the target of a ''well-organized, well-funded attack'' that sought to discredit her, he said. ''We've seen some of the same things in the battle to do the right thing'' to end global warming, but ''those who deny global warming are just flat-out wrong.''
Meanwhile, Bush appeared in Everett, Wash. With the USS Abraham Lincoln in the background, the Texas governor made an appeal to veterans in the presence of Senator John S. McCain.
Bush repeated his promise to rely heavily on allies to quell global conflicts.
''Keeping the peace also means we've got to have a military of high morale, high spirits,'' he said. ''I wish I could turn to the soldiers on that ship. ... I wish they could hear me: Stay in the military. There's a new commander in chief coming.''
Milligan reported from Pennsylvania, Kornblut from Washington.
