George W. Bush and Al Gore to Square Off Again

The most recent Reuters poll indicates that George W. Bush has gained a statistically insignificant one percentage point lead over Vice President Al Gore in the race for the presidency. As the second of three debates rapidly approaches, both camps have resorted to more pointed attacks of their opponent. Gore’s camp has launched a media campaign that is sharply critical of Bush’s environmental policy, pointing to Houston, Texas as having the dirtiest air in the U.S. Bush was also attacked for his inability to articulate a coherent foreign policy and his obvious inferiority to Gore from a public speaking perspective.

The Bush campaign was quick to point to Gore’s missteps during that first debate, which included exaggerated – some would say inappropriate – reactions to statements made by the Texas Governor. Gore also stumbled over his facts a bit and has admitted that he was mistaken about "the details" of some of his administration’s policies. The obvious shortcomings of both candidates have left undecided voters hedging about which candidate they should support. This would explain the constant fluctuations in the poll numbers being compiled.

As the final weeks of the campaign unfold, partisan considerations may begin to weaken as Americans attempt to assess the true character of each of these men, which will be interesting to say the least.