In their first debate, Al Gore went unchallenged in his criticism of Bill Bradley. On Friday night, the former New Jersey senator fought back as Gore picked at his health care and education policies -- and came armed with a plan to put the vice president on the defensive.

"My question to you is, who will you leave out?" Bradley said, drawing a contrast between his universal plan for health care coverage and Gore's less costly but incremental approach.

"Will you leave out the part-time worker who doesn't have health insurance? Will you leave out the downsized industrial worker who doesn't have health insurance?"

On the defensive for a change, Gore replied in a bit of an overstatement, "The answer is simple: I won't leave anybody out."

Bradley clearly learned his lesson from the first Democratic presidential debate in October: Taking the high road is fine, just as long as you don't get run over in the process.

"I was wondering when they were going to mix it up," said Democratic pollster Fred Yang. "Bradley couldn't just sit there and take it the entire campaign."

The former New Jersey senator came into the first debate riding a wave of momentum that drew him to a tie with Gore in New Hampshire polls. Buoyed with confidence, Bradley chose to ignore the vice president's slings and arrows in an attempt to bolster his carefully crafted image as a non-politician.

When Gore questioned the high cost of Bradley plan, the ex-lawmaker replied weakly, "We each have our own experts."

In the days after the debate, Gore piled on. He said Bradley's health care policies would bust the federal budget, jeopardize Medicare and hurt the poor and minorities.

Bradley eventually responded, but his reluctance to fight cost him: His momentum slowed in New Hampshire and Gore restored his wide lead in national polls.

Gore was itching for a fight Friday night, seizing the opportunity to draw contrasts with the challenger.

He was animated, twisting back and forth on his swivel stool and gesturing with his hands. Bradley projected a calmer demeanor, his hands folded in his lap while Gore criticized his health plan.

Bradley lapsed into his monotone style too often, and Gore talked too long at times.

"What was that all about?" Democratic consultant Bill Carrick said after Gore gave a long-winded answer about his religious faith. "All he did was yak, yak, yak, yak."

By the end, the aggressive Gore had slid to the edge of his stool when he told his audience, "I'm a fighter."

Bradley is a good man, he said, "with some bad ideas."

One of those ideas, Gore said, was giving public-aid vouchers to private schools.

"Every single time vouchers came up in the Senate for 18 years you voted for them," Gore said.

He was right, and Bradley knows that Democratic voters don't generally approving of giving federal money to private schools. Yes, he supported pilot projects, but Bradley no longer thinks "vouchers are the solution" to problems in public schools.

Questions about health care took best advantage of the debate's freewheeling forum. Gore reminded voters that Bradley's plan does not set aside money to bolster Medicare.

"No one should doubt my commitment to making sure that Medicare is solid," Bradley insisted.

"I don't doubt your commitment," Gore replied. "I doubt your plan."

Returning to his own refrain, Bradley said, "Who is he going to leave out?"

"No one," Gore said.

"That's not true," Bradley said. "You have not proposed a plan that covers all Americans.

Yang, the Democratic pollster, said, "That was a good line -- `Who are you going to leave out?' -- and I don't think Gore had a good answer. On the other hand, Bradley didn't have a good answer to Gore on Medicare."

Both candidates scored their points in the debate.

"Gore was obviously told to speak more about issues that Democrat care about -- education and guns -- and he did," Yang said. "Bradley's people told him to keep doing what he's doing in terms of keeping on the high plane, but don't let one shot from Gore go unanswered. And, you know what? He did."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ron Fournier is chief political writer for The Associated Press.