Bush and Gore Clash Over Key Issues in Last Debate
— -- Running neck and neck in the polls, presidential candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore are hitting the campaign trail in an effort to seize the momentum in the final weeks of the campaign.
By Carter M. YangABCNEWS.comOct. 18— Republican candidate George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore exchanged barbs over education, health care and tax relief as they squared off in the third and final debate of the presidential campaign.
With Bush clinging to a narrow lead in the polls, Gore sought to sharpen the contrasts between his proposals and those of his Republican rival. The Texas governor, meanwhile, portrayed himself as a leader who could reach across party lines and overcome partisanship he said had crippled Washington over the last eight years.
The debate, held Tuesday night at Washington University in St. Louis, opened with a moment of silence in memory of Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan, his son Roger, and political strategist Chris Sifford, who were killed in a plane crash Monday evening. The candidates each opened their remarks with commiserations for the Carnahan family, but the somber tone quickly turned combative as Gore laid into Bush.
Breaking from his subdued demeanor in last week’s debate, Gore took an aggressive tack from the outset in his last chance to stand face-to-face with Bush, seizing on nearly every question as an opportunity to criticize the governor’s Texas record and paint him as beholden to powerful corporate interests.
“If you want someone 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, pointing at Bush as they each laid out plans for making prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.
Bush vigorously defended his proposal to expand Medicare to cover prescription drugs and vowed to end “bickering” and “finger-pointing” in Washington, which he argued has blocked progress in health care and other key areas.
When moderator Jim Lehrer of PBS asked the Republican candidate to explain the difference between his health care agenda and that of his opponent, Bush replied, “The difference is that I can get it done.” He then ticked off patients’ protections measures enacted in Texas during his tenure as governor.
Trending Reader Picks
ABC News Live