ALLAHASSEE - The presidential campaigns weren't simply scrounging for votes yesterday.
They were searching for effective images, as they laid the groundwork for a week of legal arguments before the nation's highest court, and before the one that matters just as much in politics: the court of public opinion.
The Gore campaign brought out George Mitchell, a former Senate majority leader and Maine senator, and Michael Mone, a Massachusetts lawyer, to stress the importance of including chads of all categories in the final tally.
Dressed in dark suits, the men stood before a bank of cameras in the Senate office building, with two flags - one national, one state - as a backdrop. They tried to lend authenticity to the argument that dimples matter, as does pregnancy, at least in ballots.
(Mone was the lawyer for Quincy's William D. Delahunt, who, in 1996, won his congressional seat after arguing that any mark near the chad should count.)
''These machines,'' Mone said, ''are susceptible to misalignment of the cards.''
Minutes later, in the same room, it was the Bush campaign's turn. The campaign brought out three Vietnam-era recipients of the Medal of Honor, which hung from blue ribbons around their necks. As their backdrop, the Republicans had 10 American flags splayed out behind the war heroes.
As the room fell silent, they offered their message: We risked our lives in combat, so military ballots should be counted, even if they were not postmarked.
''At no time did I have a stamp to put on a letter,'' said Gary Littrell, who spent 22 years in the Army. ''We just had to put the word `free' in the top right corner.''
None of the veterans took questions after their brief statements. A Bush spokeswoman, Mindy Tucker, was left behind to handle the mundane questions, such as: How does that veteran spell his name, and how old is he?
One of the men, Ron Ray, was an Army captain, Tucker said. He was born on Dec. 7, 1941.
A few groans seeped from the scrum of media around her.
''Nice touch,'' one sarcastic journalist said.
''We try,'' Tucker snapped.
Meanwhile, outside, a small band of Bush supporters brought their children with them to the Capitol to protest the election. But their chants, for the most part, were heard only when TV klieg lights indicated that a live shot was underway.
Asked why such passionate arguments were voiced only for television, one protester, Scott Olson of Tallahassee, likened his timed enthusiasm to being a fan at a football game and screaming during a touchdown.
''When the play is on,'' he said, ''it's time to cheer.''
