NDIANAPOLIS - Governor George W. Bush, under fire for refusing to sign on to a bipartisan debate schedule, gambled yesterday that he could turn the controversy to his advantage with a new round of negative advertisements accusing Vice President Al Gore of avoiding some debates himself.
It was part of a multiple offensive, as Bush attacked Gore's economic policies, then flew to Wisconsin to address a veterans' convention that Gore had decided to skip. Unusually aggressive throughout the day, Bush questioned his opponent's credibility, saying candidates ''shouldn't be making promises they cannot keep.''
In the ads and on the stump, Bush said Gore could not be trusted - not to keep his word on the presidential debates, not to prudently use the federal budget surplus, not to be commander in chief of the armed forces. Bush, looking past the booming economy and balanced budgets of recent years, also predicted Gore would mismanage the economy because ''his plan has been endorsed by Bill Clinton.''
One of the new negative ads, titled ''Credibility,'' shows old television clips of Gore agreeing, in comments to CNN and NBC, to debate the Texas governor at any time and in any setting. It highlights Bush's more recent agreement to joint appearances with the vice president on those networks and tells viewers Gore has now backed away from doing so. The ad does not explain that Bush, while agreeing to the 60-minute talk show appearances, has said he will not participate in two of three 90-minute debates sponsored by the bipartisan presidential debates commission.
''If we can't trust Al Gore on debates, why should we trust him on anything?'' the voice-over in the ad says.
The new spot is part of a Bush advertising array, now being broadcast in 21 battleground states. Another ad contrasts images of Gore at a Buddhist temple fund-raiser with his pledge to reform campaign finance laws.
Gore, responding yesterday to Bush's criticisms, renewed his call on Bush to participate in the three 90-minute debates. ''I'm not going to play games to try to substitute a talk show for the national bipartisan commission debates,'' Gore said.
Gore's spokesman, Chris Lehane, noted that Bush quoted President Kennedy in his speech accepting the Republican nomination and that the first debate is scheduled to be held Oct. 3 at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, just across from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
''This is not exactly a profile in courage when it comes to the debates. It's clear he doesn't want the largest amount of people as possible to watch there,'' Lehane said.
The vice president also faced heavy criticism from numerous veterans attending the American Legion national convention, especially its national commander, Alan G. Lance. Introducing Bush as a keynote speaker at the group's annual convention, Lance lambasted Gore for refusing a similar invitation to address the thousands of veterans gathered in Milwaukee this week.
By declining, Gore became the first major presidential nominee in nearly a century not to speak before the group, Lance said.
''In the entire history of the American Legion, this has never happened before, and I cannot express to you how disappointed I am that we will not hear the Democratic presidential candidate,'' he told the 7,000-member crowd.
For his part, the Texas governor did not mention Gore's absence, but he accused the administration of failing to keep the military strong.
Saying the armed forces are suffering under a series of budget cuts, Bush vowed to restore morale to the military, as well as to increase the pay of service personnel. Although military budget cutbacks began in the administration of President George Bush, his son held the Clinton administration responsible for sending the armed services into disarray.
''Let's get something straight, these are not criticisms of the military,'' Bush said. ''They are criticisms of the current commander-in-chief and the vice president for not providing the necessary leadership for America.''
Bush's remarks were well-received, although at one point his tongue slipped.
The Texas governor promised to make America the ''pacemakers'' in the world. What he meant to say was that America would be the ''peacemakers, not the peacekeepers,'' a phrase he includes in virtually every speech.
But the crowd did not seem to mind. Indeed, when Bush concluded, a group of veterans from Massachusetts - almost all of them registered Democrats - said he had earned their vote.
By contrast, Gore's failure to appear was a ''slap in the face to every veteran,'' said John Mulkern, 72, a World War II and Korean War veteran from West Roxbury.
''I'm a registered Democrat, but I vote the way my conscience says ... George W. Bush,'' Mulkern said.
''I'm with him,'' interjected Frank Howley, 75, a WWII veteran from Newton.
The Gore campaign had offered to send his running mate, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, citing a scheduling conflict. But the American Legion rejected the offer.
