Campaign 2000: The Lover vs. The Fighter

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But there are political motivations too, argue Gore advisers. "Every time you mention the party, take credit or talk about the past, you lose swing voters," says a Gore partisan of how the Vice President's consultants answer his concerns. "They say that stuff only appeals to the base." Still, Gore could use a little help there. Bush has 88% support from Republicans, while Gore currently has only 83% of Democrats, according to a TIME/CNN poll.

The refusal to look back also robs Gore of another key argument, which is that Washington is a place where fisticuffs take over when footwork fails, and it is the most trenchant fighters who win the day. In this world, Gore took on his party, President and opposition, and often won. Fans cite a host of defeats of old-style liberalism, starting with his successful fight in 1993 to make Clinton focus on debt reduction rather than new spending. He later pushed for welfare reform and NAFTA, both of which had more G.O.P. than Democratic backing.

But perhaps his most brilliant and lethal display was in 1995, when Gore and Clinton adviser Dick Morris pushed Clinton to break with the Democrats and agree to a balanced budget. Gore then doubled back on Morris, who wanted Clinton to sign on to a budget bill that would have cut Medicare and other popular programs. Arguing against a deal, Gore predicted the government shutdown and convinced Clinton it would play into his hands. Gore, who wrote his college thesis on how the power of television gives the President an edge over Congress, even coached the President on exploiting the media. "Gore was the only one in the White House who saw all the way through to the endgame and got everything right," says a former Clinton aide. "Side with the Republicans, even if the Democrats feel betrayed. Then fillet the Republicans and save the Democrats." Complains a Democrat close to the campaign: "He needs to talk about this stuff. You can't just say you're a fighter. You have to say you're a fighter and a winner."

Bush is not so shy about selling his record of governing in Texas, which he boasts has been successful because of political relationships with Republicans and Democrats that he cultivated before he was even elected. While running against former Democratic Governor Ann Richards in 1994, Bush paid a secret visit to Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock, a Democrat and the most powerful person in Texas politics. "You may not think I'm going to win," Bush told him, "but when I do, I want to work with you." Even after Bush's prediction came to pass, the famously crusty Bullock had a series of smackdowns with the Governor. "Bullock was a man of great profanity and chewed his ass out," remembers Republican state senator David Sibley of a phone call between the two men discussing litigation reform. By the end of that evening, Bush was on the phone again offering a compromise. "Bullock got back on and said, 'You're the greatest ever,'" says Sibley. Though the two later clashed on taxes and other issues, Bush kept at the courtship. "He gets out of his seat and gets it done," says Austin political consultant Bill Miller. "He doesn't wait for people to come to him." By the time of his re-election race in 1998, Bush had Bullock's endorsement, and on his deathbed, the old adversary asked his rival to deliver the eulogy at his funeral.