LABOR DAY BEGINS FINAL LAP
IN U.S. PRESIDENTIAL RACE   

First came the primary election cycle; after a brief lull there were the national nominating conventions.

In days gone by, the political parties' presidential nominees would then rest and plan for the start of the "real" race on Labor Day, traditionally the end of summer and the time when voters return to work from their vacations.

But now there are no breaks in timing, and this September 4 Labor Day found Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush campaigning as they have since formally accepting their nominations. If anything, the holiday weekend marks the start of the race's final lap to the November 7 election.

It also marks the closest U.S. presidential race in 20 years, with most polls showing Bush and Gore in a statistical tie, but with the advantage shifting toward the vice president following his post-convention "bounce." A Newsweek Magazine poll had Gore ahead by 10 points, outside of the "margin of error."

News organizations were split in their analyses of the all-important electoral votes within the individual states. "The Hotline," an electronic publication which reports on the news media's election coverage, says Bush currently leads Gore 234 electoral votes to 217, with 270 needed for election.

Reporting on other analyses, Hotline has the Texas governor ahead by varying numbers in the counts made by U.S. News and World Report, ABC News and the Washington Times, while the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle put the vice president ahead by varying numbers.

Pew Research Center polls watcher Curtis Gans, noting the recent shifts in polling, said "You have to respect the amount of instability in the public opinion surveys and come to the conclusion that this is really anyone's race."

While the two candidates are delivering speeches and attending rallies, their campaign staffs are debating about debates. Both campaigns are aware that nationally televised debates are one of the most effective ways for them to reach a large audience of voters, and they want the environment to be one that puts their candidates in the best possible light.

The bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates chose dates -- all in October -- and locations for three 90-minute meetings between Gore and Bush and one between the vice presidential candidates, Democratic Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman and Republican former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney.

Gore agreed to the times and venues, however Bush balked, suggesting instead one-hour debates, and that the first event take place in September and that two of the three meetings be with individual television networks as opposed to all of them providing coverage. Gore rejected that proposal as insufficient, and representatives of the two candidates were trying to reach an agreement.

Skirmishes over debates have long been a factor in presidential campaigns as rivals maneuver for favorable terms.

Over the Labor Day weekend, Gore took part in a non-stop, 27-hour campaign throughout four states -- Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida and Kentucky -- that he called "an American workathon," since he visited with construction workers, hospital workers, fire fighters and bakers.

Brookings Institution political observer Stephen Hess called the sleep-defying marathon event "a gimmick" but said it made sense as a way to build voter interest in the campaign.

The vice president also delivered six speeches throughout the time period, participated in a Labor Day parade and attended a rally at a motor speedway. Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, Gore's running mate, joined him for part of his events and then split off to meet with union members in Ohio.

Also on Labor Day, the wives of the Democratic ticket were in Chicago to campaign and met privately with about 40 leaders of the Islamic Society of North America, a Muslim group holding a convention. A spokesman for the Gore campaign described it as "an informal meet-and-greet."

Bush, campaigning in Pennsylvania September 5, announced details of his proposed 10-year $110,000 million health care plan to strengthen the federal health program Medicare for senior citizens, and a 4-year $48,000 million program to subsidize prescription drug costs.

The immediate plan would cover all the costs of prescriptions for senior citizens earning up to $11,200 annually and part of the cost for those earning more, according to a fact sheet issued by the Bush campaign. It added that the longer-range plan would guarantee Medicare benefits for all and cover catastrophic costs totally.

An advisor to Gore, who last week proposed his own 10-year $253,000 million program to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare, said Bush's plan favored "the big drug companies" and would leave millions of senior citizens without any coverage.

Bush started his Labor Day campaigning in Illinois, delivering a speech and taking part in a parade. Accompanied by Dick Cheney, his vice presidential running mate, the Texas governor spoke at one rally where he made a disparaging remark about a journalist that was supposed to be private but was picked up by a microphone. Bush later said he regretted making the remark but he did not apologize for it.

He also visited a peach festival in Michigan, while Cheney remained in Illinois to attend a Polish food festival.

During the weekend, the Republican Party began running a television ad that attacks the credibility of the vice president by alluding to past campaign fundraising activities, among other things. The 30-second spot is airing in 17 states. Later this week, the Democrats plan to run their own 30-second TV ad in nine states, questioning some of Bush's policies as governor of Texas. The question of "negative" campaigning has been raised throughout the primary and election season as a problematic aspect of the U.S. electoral system.

On September 2, Bush received a secret briefing on the world situation from the Central Intelligence Agency. He was joined by several of his foreign policy advisors and afterwards told journalists that the classified briefing was "an important part of the process" to prepare presidential candidates for the responsibilities of the White House.

The Clinton administration arranged for the CIA briefing for Bush following a tradition that began since President Harry Truman arranged them for the presidential candidates in the 1952 race.

One national security issue that will affect whoever wins the presidency is missile defense, since President Clinton decided last week to defer to his successor a decision on such deployment. Gore and Bush each welcomed that announcement but from different perspectives.

Gore said he would continue to test the feasibility of building a defense shield but he believed the presumed threat of a missile attack did not necessarily require one. He also said he would go ahead with deployment of a land-based system if he were convinced the technologies were ready.

Bush said he would welcome the chance as president to make the decision on deployment but he also criticized the "Clinton-Gore administration" for leaving behind what he called "important unfinished business."