ANOVER, N.H. - Seeking to separate himself from the rest of the Republican presidential field, Arizona Senator John McCain repeatedly told an audience of Upper Valley voters last night that before any of society's problems can be addressed, the special interests that control the political process must be broken.
''The special interests rule in Washington,'' said McCain, a staunch proponent of overhauling the way campaigns are funded. ''The big money, the huge six- and seven-figure contributions come in and we add another loophole.''
From problems with the military, to rewriting the tax code, to solving America's health-care problems, McCain turned almost every question back to money in politics during an hourlong town-hall forum broadcast on WMUR-TV in New Hampshire and on CNN nationally.
Five of the six Republican candidates for president attended the session at Dartmouth College: Gary Bauer, Steve Forbes, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, Alan Keyes, and McCain. In an evening of polite discourse, each candidate tried to stress his key point - Forbes on economic freedom and opportunity, Bauer and Keyes on improving morality, Hatch on his government experience, and McCain on reforming government.
The missing candidate was the front-runner, Texas Governor George W. Bush, who was attending an event in Texas honoring his wife. It was the second New Hampshire Republican forum he has skipped in a week.
''It's an opportunity for the candidates to distinguish themselves,'' said Steve Duprey, the New Hampshire Republican chairman. ''A lot of voters haven't met some of the candidates. This is fabulous for them.''
Last night's forum was also a chance for McCain - who in recent weeks has emerged as the chief threat to Bush in New Hampshire - to stand out without the presence of the front-runner. McCain's poll numbers have been rising steadily, and he is drawing large crowds during his frequent trips to the first-in-the-nation primary state.
''I think it's a great opportunity we're giving them,'' said Thomas D. Rath, a longtime GOP activist and a top Bush supporter. ''They should thank us.''
Actually, Bush suffered a few more slings last night than he did last week during a Republican roundtable at the University of New Hampshire. When a woman told Forbes that she wished she could ask Bush her question about buying nominations, he agreed with her.
''Like you, I share the frustration that Governor Bush is not here tonight,'' Forbes said, noting that Bush had skipped last week's get-together in favor of a fund-raiser. He pointed out also that Bush skipped a visit to a Rhode Island elementary school not long ago in order to go to a fund-raiser when his plane was delayed.
''Perhaps in the future if we call this a fund-raiser, he might show up,'' Forbes said, in one of the toughest barbs of the evening.
Forbes, who is largely funding his campaign through his vast private fortune, accused the Republican establishment in Washington of seeking ''a coronation, rather than a contest.''
Last night was also notable for the fact that President Clinton received gentler criticism than he did from his own vice president during the Democratic town hall meeting the night before. Hatch commended Clinton for the strong economy, pointing to the balanced budget and the appointments of Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin and Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.
On Wednesday Vice President Al Gore, responding to a question about restoring trust in government, said he understood ''the disappointment and anger that you feel toward President Clinton. I feel it myself.''
The Republicans also differed from Gore and his challenger, Bill Bradley, who used their time to talk about programs and policies, by focusing mainly on morals, values, and trying to stand out from the crowd.
Hatch, for example, pointedly said he has the most experience to run the country of any candidate running for president - including the two Democrats. He said he is worried about the appointment of judges to the federal bench in the coming years.
Bauer repeatedly talked about his working class, Kentucky roots, and his service in the administration of Ronald Reagan. ''America is a great nation militarily,'' Bauer said. ''It also has a virtue deficit. If we are going to be a shining city on a hill again, we need to balance virtue and liberty.''
Keyes appeared to agree with Bauer, but presented his concerns in a sharper, more pessimistic tone. ''This nation is in the worst moral crisis it has ever faced,'' he said.
Throughout the evening, Keyes drew laughs from the audience. He called for the end of the ''socialist income tax,'' and became so worked up during a denunciation of the United Nations that he concluded by saying, ''Sorry about that.''
Keyes, an African-American, accused reporters of being racist. He said he wins most of his debates, but the news media's response ''is nothing.''
''I frankly think you all should be ashamed of yourselves,'' Keyes said, before stalking off.
Forbes took credit last night for the popularity of the flat tax, an idea he championed during the 1996 presidential campaign.
Noting that the idea has gained currency among his fellow Republicans over the years, he wryly noted: ''So, education does work.''
While the forum provided no real opportunity for the candidates to engage one another, Bauer took a shot at Forbes over the flat tax, saying the plan would allow corporations to escape without paying their fair share. Bauer has been battling Forbes for the conservative mantle. But Forbes largely ignored Bauer, setting his sights, instead, on Bush's absence.
Forbes was also asked if he would hire qualified men and women to work in his administration if they are openly gay, or if he would fire them.
''I will hire people who are qualified for the job, who can do the work at hand, who are there to get something done, not to make a statement about a lifestyle,'' Forbes said. ''If they are there to make a statement, they're not going to get the job.''
But it was McCain who seemed to dominate the hour, sticking to his message of cleaning up government and reducing the power of special interests. The only time he got thrown slightly off-stride occurred when a Hanover man asked him how he reconciles society's tolerance for alcohol with the problems of legalizing medical marijuana.
''That is an excellent question, which I'd prefer to duck,'' McCain joked.
McCain said that while there are clearly problems with alcohol, the nation is losing the war on drugs. ''There was a time when we were not losing the war, when Nancy Reagan had a very simple program called `just say no,''' he said.
But then McCain said he wanted to answer the previous question about people who travel to Canada and Mexico to buy perscription drugs: ''I want to say why is it that we can't come up with a decent patient bill of rights?... Until we reform this campaign-finance system, we're not going to reach a conclusion.''
