NEW YORK -- Oprah Winfrey it was not.

The governor of Texas, the Republican nominee for president, the man who would be leader of the free world, yesterday donned a monochromatic shirt and tie and took his campaign into one of popular culture's quirkiest venues.

It was George W. Bush -- the all-new-this-week, couldn't-be-more-relaxed George W. Bush -- "live" with Regis Philbin on his daytime show. Bush gabbed with a finalist from "Survivor," bragged about watching "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" and exited, stage right, just before the next guest, a man from Richmond, Ind., tried to set a record for breaking boards with his head.

"Everyone needs a hobby, Regis," the man explained.

Before Bush appeared, Judy B. Goode of St. Petersburg, Fla., auditioned to be the successor to former co-host Kathie Lee Gifford by performing singing impressions of entertainers such as Cher and Carol Channing.

Then it was on to the future of the presidency, and Bush was asked a few questions unlikely to make the cut at the presidential debates.

Philbin asked about the origin of his nickname, "W."

Susan Hawk, the tough-talking Wisconsin truck driver from "Survivor" who was serving as guest host, wondered, "Do you have a good plan on the Social Security?" She answered herself, saying she liked Bush's idea of allowing some Social Security taxes to be invested in the stock market.

When Bush explained that "W" came from the initial for his middle name, Walker, Hawk cut in, as she did repeatedly, "There's a Texas ranger named Walker," referring to the TV series starring Chuck Norris.

"Yeah, he's a good friend of mine," the governor said.

"Do you know him?" asked the fawning co-host.

Yet, if the visit dwelled long on the amusing and the inane, it was, for Bush, nonetheless purposeful. Bush went live with Regis after a more serious interview on Tuesday with Oprah Winfrey. Both Winfrey and Philbin have large female audiences, and Bush has campaigned assiduously all week to build support among female voters. Women currently support Bush's Democratic rival, Al Gore, by a wide margin. The appearances have also been intended to humanize Bush and to air his easygoing side, which was one of his early strengths as a candidate.

Bush did share some serious thoughts with Philbin, accusing the Clinton administration of allowing gas prices to soar and warning Saddam Hussein of "serious consequences" if the Iraqi president is caught trading in weapons of mass destruction.

The Texas governor also said he accepts the fact that the best person does not always win in politics.

"I didn't think so in 1992," Bush said, referring to the election that his father, former president Bush, lost to Bill Clinton. "The only thing I know to do is just to speak my mind, tell people what's on my heart, let the chips fall where they may. I trust Americans, I do, I trust the American people."

The light tone of the 20-minute interview was set when Bush walked out wearing a gray suit, navy shirt, and dark blue silk tie. The garb, suggested by golfer Ben Crenshaw when Bush had dinner with him Sunday, was a take-off on Philbin's style and new line of clothing. "He gave Oprah a kiss, but he wore my shirt and tie," Philbin proudly told his audience.

Bush admitted he tuned in to the summer's television hit, the CBS show "Survivor."

"I did [watch] coming down the stretch in particular," he said. "I was fascinated to see who was going to survive, kind of like me. I feel like I'm going through `Survivor.' " Bush said he occasionally watches Philbin's nighttime show, "Who wants to Be a Millionaire," and tries to guess the correct answers all the way up to the $1 million level.

The audience cooed as Philbin showed baby pictures of Bush, and then Hawk interrupted again when a photo of Bush on a pony named "Widow Maker" flashed on the screen.

"I loved my first pony," she said.

"You had a pony?" the nominee asked.

"I had a pony, 8 years old, I had a pony, `Sugar.' "

" `Sugar?' In Wisconsin?"

"Oh yeah, I had it for the longest time, and then it got to when I had to sell it, I cried so hard. I was just a little girl."

Finally, Philbin interrupted the banter, deadpanning, "Governor, you got a minute?"