T. LOUIS - Meeting for the last time before the election, Al Gore and George W. Bush conducted a sharp and an aggressive debate last night, conveying distinct differences in policy and style in an effort to capture a vital group of undecided voters who may swing the election.
Unlike their last encounter, in which Gore and Bush seemed to go out of their way to underscore areas of agreement, this time the candidates appeared to revel in their clashes. Gore delighted in contrasting his view of health care with his opponent's, while Bush made no secret of his position, saying he was ''absolutely opposed to a national care plan.''
Perhaps the biggest change from previous debates was in Gore's demeanor. He was more combative, and he appeared more comfortable in the aggressor's role than he did in his toned-down debate appearance last week in North Carolina.
Appearing energized by the town hall-style meeting, the vice president bounded from his stool, strolling toward the audience and startling Bush by walking up to within a step or two of him.
''If you want someone who will ... end up supporting legislation that is supported by the big drug companies, this is your man,'' Gore said, referring derisively to Bush.
Bush also freely used the stage, and seemed comfortable in parrying Gore's charges. He returned repeatedly to his theme that he wants smaller government and bigger tax cuts and that he is able to lead by bridging partisan divides.
''I trust you with your money,'' Bush said at one point. ''I wish we could spend an hour talking about it.''
At another, he said bluntly of Gore: ''This is a big spender. He ought to be proud of it - it's part of his record.''
The debate began with tributes to Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan, who was killed in a plane crash Monday night. After a moment of silence, both Gore and Bush paid their own condolences to the Carnahan family.
Although there were a few questions on foreign affairs and the military, the nationally televised debate focused mostly on domestic issues that voters have said they find most relevant: education, health care, prescription drugs.
Gore, pacing the field house at Washington University, surrounded by an audience of undecided voters from the St. Louis area, sought to draw clear distinctions between his agenda and that of his opponent. Explaining his view of social programs, Gore repeatedly pledged his support for a ''patient's bill of rights'' now pending in Congress - and accused Bush of backing a bill supported by prescription drug companies.
''I support a strong national patient's bill of rights. It is actually a disagreement between us,'' Gore said. ''The national law that is pending on this, the Dingell-Norwood bill, is one I support and the governor does not.'' The bipartisan bill he referred to has support in both houses of Congress, but has been stuck in committee.
The version backed by Gore would allow patients the right to sue their health maintenance organizations, would guarantee access to emergency rooms, and would provide broad access to specialists. Bush, who threatened in 1997 to veto a Texas bill giving patients the right to sue their HMOs but eventually allowed it to become law without his signature, supports a bill that would allow only patients in federal HMOs to sue their health plans. Patients in state-run plans would not have that right.
Bush, repeating a refrain of his campaign, said the Clinton-Gore administration should have handled the HMO matter during the last eight years.
''The difference is that I can get it done ... That's what the question is. It's not only like, what's your philosophy and what's your position on issues,'' Bush said. ''The problem we have today is that, like the Patients Bill of Rights, there's a lot of bickering in Washington, D.C. It's kind of like a political issue as opposed to a people issue.''
Gore grew animated at times, for instance when Bush said he supported prescription drug coverage for the uninsured. ''All right, here we go again,'' Gore said, exasperated but stopping short of the sigh that he used in the first debate in Boston.
''Look, if you want somebody who will spend a lot of words describing a whole convoluted process and then end up supporting legislation that is supported by the big drug companies, this is your man,'' Gore said. ''If you want somebody who will fight for you and who will fight for the middle-class families and working men and women who are sick and tired of having their parents and grandparents pay higher prices for prescription drugs than anybody else, then I want to fight for you.''
Bush, who at times could be heard over a microphone laughing at Gore's assertions, remained seated for several questions and for his closing statement. At one point, as Gore was answering a question, Bush was caught on camera winking at an audience member in the background.
At one point, Gore swept his hand across the audience and told them their combined tax cut under the Bush plan probably would be smaller than that given a single taxpayer who makes more than $330,000 per year.
The moderator, Jim Lehrer of PBS, who interjected several times during the debate, asked Bush to address Gore's central contention that Bush's tax cut plan benefits the wealthy.
''Of course it does,'' Bush responded. ''If you pay taxes you are going to get a benefit ... under my plan, the wealthy people pay 62 pecent of the taxes. Afterward they pay 64 percent.''
When Gore was asked about education, he seemed to leap at the chance to contrast himself with Bush.
''We have a huge difference between us,'' Gore said. He then proceedeed to attack Bush's plan to provide government-funded vouchers for parents of students who attend schools that are determined to have failed.
''Governor Bush is for vouchers, and in his plan, he proposes to drain more money, more taxpayer money, out of the public schools for private school vouchers than all of the money that he proposes in his entire budget for public schools themselves.''
Bush defended his proposals, saying:''Vouchers are up to states. If you want to do a voucher program in Missouri, fine.''
He also offered a spirited portrait of his educational reform philosophy:
''When we find children trapped in schools that will not change and will not teach, instead of saying, `Oh, this is OK in America, just to shuffle poor kids through schools,' there has to be a consequence,'' Bush said. ''And the consequence is that federal portion of federal money will go to the parent so the parent can go to a tutoring program or another public school...or a private school.''
A question about racial diversity prompted a tense exchange about affirmative action, in which Bush voiced support for ''affirmative access,'' a loosely defined program that would help minorities through a merit-based system but that would not allow quotas or racial preferences.
Asked directly whether he supported affirmative action, Bush said: ''If affirmative action means quotas, I'm against it.''
Yet Bush did not say whether he supports affirmative action as it exists. That gave Gore an opening.
''He said if affirmative action means quotas, he's against it. Affirmative action doesn't mean quotas,'' Gore said.
''Good,'' Bush said.
Gore pressed him further, asking, ''Are you for it without quotas?''
Lehrer cut off the discussion at that point, leaving the question unresolved.
Bush's toughest question came from an audience member named Leo Anderson, who said the governor seemed ''overly proud'' of the many Texas executions. During Bush's term as governor, Texas has put more inmates to death than any other state.
''Are you really, really proud of the fact that Texas is number one?'' Anderson asked.
Bush, after repeating his assertion that he approved the executions only of those whose guilt was clear, said he was proud that violent crime had gone down in his home state. But as to the shear number of executions, he said, ''I'm not proud of that record, sir.''
Gore, who also supports the death penalty, agreed with Bush that it can be a deterrent. But Gore, indirectly addressing questions about Bush's record of reviewing death penalty cases, said, ''If, for example, somebody confesses to the crime and somebody is waiting on death row, there has to be alertness, too, to say, `Hey, wait a minute, have we got the wrong guy?' If the wrong guy is put to death, then that's a double tragedy.''
Another questioner said he wanted Bush to explain his position on the Brady Bill, which regulates handgun purchases. Gore backs a three-day waiting period for handgun sales, while Bush backs the current instant background check. The questioner said he had seen an ad saying that if Bush became president, the National Rifle Association would work out of a White House office. But both Bush and Gore denied running the ad.
''I believe law-abiding citizens ought to be allowed to protect themselves and their families,'' said Bush, who has signed Texas legislation allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons.
Gore, who supports a photo license for new handgun purchasers, sought to reassure voters who may think he wants to restrict firearms.
''None of my proposals would have any effect on hunters or sportsmen or people who use rifles,'' Gore said.
Bush boosted his plan to allow some Social Security payments to be invested in the stock market, while Gore said that would break a promise to older Americans.
Gore turned to the governor and asked, ''How are you going to keep faith with the seniors?''
Bush responded: ''The trillion dollars comes out of the surplus, so that can you invest some of your own money. There's just a difference of opinion. I want workers to have their own assets. It's who you trust, government or people.''
