ANCHESTER, N.H. - Al Gore has a new best friend in the presidential race. He's a Republican, and his name is John McCain.
Seeking to siphon independent voters from Bill Bradley, his Democratic rival, Gore yesterday couldn't find enough good things to say about McCain.
After offering his standard critique of Republican tax-cut proposals as ''risky tax schemes,'' Gore added, ''John McCain's tax scheme is a little less grand than that of the others.''
And in renewing his offer to Bradley to forgo 30-second television ads and agree to twice weekly debates on specific issues, Gore said that if he wins the Democratic nomination, he would issue the same challenge to whoever gets the GOP nomination.
Then, there was this: ''I would not take it as a foregone conclusion that the Republican candidate would reject the idea,'' Gore said. ''I have a feeling that John McCain would say `yes' and accept that challenge.''
There is a method to Gore's madness. McCain is competing with Bradley for the hearts and minds of political independents in New Hampshire. They are the largest voting bloc in the state and can vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary. The more independents McCain attracts, the more likely it is that Gore walks away as the victor Tuesday.
To add insult to injury, Gore's ''Stay and Fight'' express, his gray and green campaign bus rolling through New Hampshire, bears a familiar message. On the side are the words ''It will happen,'' an adaptation of Bradley's campaign slogan ''It can happen.''
