Countdown to super Tuesday: Bush & Gore step up attacks

Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Al Gore pushes his grandson, Wyatt, as he walks along the beach with his family, from left, daughter Sarah, wife Tipper, and daughter Karenna Gore Schiff, Monday, July 31, 2000, on Figure Eight Island, N.C., while vacationing with his family. Few get to see Gore at ease this way. Unlike some schmoozing pols, free time is family time. (AP Photo)

WASHINGTON (AP) - George W. Bush called Al Gore "a man who has been in Washington too long," accusing him of divisively pitting one group against another, while the vice president's campaigners said they will make a key, closing issue of the Texas governor's lack of seasoning.

Gore is "so confident about his ability, he claimed he invented the Internet," said Bush, who labeled Gore "a man prone to exaggeration." Then he launched into a whimsical play on his own middle initial:

"But if the man was so smart, how come all the Internet addresses begin with `W'? Not only one W, but three Ws."

It's been months since Gore openly questioned Bush's experience. But on Saturday night, Gore was asked if he agreed with The New York Times, which endorsed him in Sunday papers and said Bush doesn't have the experience or knowledge to be president.

"I haven't said that I believe it because I don't think it's my place to say that I believe it," Gore told reporters. "I will say this though: my already high estimation of The New York Times has risen even further."

With 10 days to go and Bush ahead in opinion polls, the pace of the campaign quickened and turned even more negative. Both candidates sought advantage from their rival's weaknesses: Polls show voters still harbor doubts about Gore's sincerity and Bush's intellect.

Behind the scenes, vice presidential allies were sounding alarms about the threat posed by third-party candidate Ralph Nader, a longtime consumer rights and green activist, and Gore's struggles to gain traction against Bush. Republicans seemed more confident, with Bush aides privately predicting a Nov. 7 win.

"There's a feeling of desperation. The Gore people are very concerned," said Pat McCormick, a Democratic political consultant in Portland, Oregon, where Nader is cutting into the vice president's base.

Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush says running is the one thing he couldn't live without, jogs along the path near Town Lake on Tuesday, March 14, 2000, in Austin, Texas. The pace is always the same: 7 minutes, 15 seconds per mile. (AP Photo)

President Bill Clinton tried to defuse a rift with Gore advisers who don't want him on the campaign trail. "I'll do whatever I think is best in consultation with the campaign," Clinton said in Washington.

Clinton plans to travel to California and perhaps other battleground states on behalf of Gore and Democratic congressional candidates. The vice president doesn't want to be overshadowed by his charismatic boss, whose impeachment left many swing voters, particularly women, cool to the Democratic ticket.

Gore's campaigners unveiled two new ads, designed to fuel voters' doubts about Bush's seasoning, Gore adviser Tad Devine told reporters.

"It speaks very powerfully to the concerns we're hearing in focus groups and other research that Governor Bush in many ways is not up to the job of being president," Devine said.

A Newsweek magazine poll showed Bush ahead of Gore among likely voters 49 percent to 41 percent, similar to the magazine's findings last week. A consensus has emerged among most major polls giving Bush a lead of 4-to-8 percentage points - a narrow but notable edge in a race that has seesawed since the summer conventions.

Bush also holds a small lead in the race for state electoral votes, according to state polls and analysts.

The Newsweek polls showed Bush is considered more honest. Voters think Gore is more intelligent, but they are split on who would do a better job with international crises.