Final debate features tense moments, sharp contrasts

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (CNN) -- In a "town meeting" format that triggered several tense moments, Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore wrapped up the final debate of the 2000 presidential campaign Tuesday by drawing sharp policy contrasts and questioning each other's ability to lead the country.

RESOURCES Final presidential debate transcript  VIDEO Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush debate in Missouri: Part 1 Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Watch the debate: Part 2 Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Watch the debate: Part 3 Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Watch the debate: Part 4 Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Watch the debate: Part 5 Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     AUDIO Q: Would you be open to the idea of a national health care plan? Bush 332K/30 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Gore 356K/33 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     AUDIO Q: What would make you the best person in office during the Middle East crisis? Bush 484K/45 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Gore 396K/36 sec. AIFF or WAV sound     AUDIO Q: Will you keep your promises if elected? Bush 232K/21 sec. AIFF or WAV sound Gore 308K/28 sec. AIFF or WAV sound   MESSAGE BOARD Express Your Opinion: Debates 2000

"All right, here we go again. Now, look, if you want someone who will spin 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," Vice President Gore said of Texas Gov. Bush in describing the competing prescription drug coverage proposals of the two. Bush said Gore had attempted to create a nationalized health care system against public will, and had failed to bring meaningful prescription drug coverage to seniors through Medicare.

The tone of the statement was typical of the debate, in which the two candidates took questions from the audience and walked around a stage where the raised seats of the audience members created a sports-arena-like atmosphere. The candidates walked toward audience members but occasionally turned to one another, particularly when the comments turned accusatory.

At one point, Bush said Gore was proposing the "largest increase in federal spending in years, and there's just not going to be enough money" to pay for it. Gore said Bush was wrong, and his rival's $1.3 billion tax plan would lavish relief on the wealthy while shortchanging critical domestic programs.

But Bush insisted he wasn't wrong. "He proposed more than Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis combined," Bush said of two Democratic presidential candidates who lost their bids for the White House. "This is a big spender and he ought to be proud of it."

Moderator Jim Lehrer struggled to hold the two candidates to the debate rules they had negotiated and approved in advance. At one point, Lehrer gently cautioned Gore against violating the rules.

Both presidential nominees opened the debate by paying tribute to Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan, who was killed Monday night along with his son and a campaign adviser when the private plane they were flying in crashed about 30 miles south of St. Louis. Carnahan, 66, was locked in a hard-fought U.S. Senate race against Republican incumbent Sen. John Ashcroft, who has now suspended his campaign because of the tragedy.

Vice President Al Gore

In a tense moment late in the debate, an audience member confronted Bush about the dozens of executions that have occurred in Texas during the governor's tenure -- and about Bush's answers to questions during the second debate about those executions.

"Sir, did I misread your response, and are you really, really proud of the fact that Texas is number one in executions?" the audience member asked. "No, I'm not proud of that. The death penalty is very serious business," Bush responded. "If you think I was proud of it, I think you misread me, I do."

The early portion of the debate focused on health care. When asked by an audience member how he felt about health maintenance organizations making decisions about the health care of patients, Gore said: "I don't feel good about it and I think we ought to have a patients' bill of rights to take that decision away from the HMOs and give them back to the doctors and nurses."

He said Bush did not support a leading "patients' bill of rights" bill before Congress, causing Bush to respond, "I support a national patients' bill of rights, Mr. Vice President, and I want all the people covered."

Both Gore and Bush went through a low-key day in advance of their face-off. With exactly three weeks until Election Day, Gore went into the debate trying to deflect criticism that he has misrepresented his own positions during previous debates.

"A lot of people are interested in someone who's going to tell it like it is," Bush told CNN on Monday, "not try to be something in one debate and try to be something else in the next debate."

Gov. George W. Bush

Tuesday's CNN/USA Today/Gallup daily tracking poll indicated that Gore and Bush remain statistically tied, when allowing for the survey's 4-percentage point margin of error. Bush has 47 percent to Gore's 44 percent.

With a bloc of uncommitted voters across the nation apparently holding the key to the election, both candidates are clearly mindful of the high stakes.

The debate questioners were chosen by the Gallup polling organization under an agreement with the Commission on Presidential Debates. Gallup started its recruiting process with a random sample of all registered voters in St. Louis and its suburbs, and then screened out all but "uncommitted voters," said Frank Newport, Gallup's executive editor.

The result was a group of potential voters who said they could support either Gore or Bush -- though they might be leaning one way or the other.

The theater-in-the-round stage was informally set with two stools. The candidates were surrounded by 100 questioners and an additional 500 onlookers.

Gore held a mock debate on Monday, inviting 23 voters to the Innsbrook resort outside St. Louis to help him practice.

"I'm going to do what I've done a lot of times in Tennessee, and that is, just have an open meeting," Gore said.

VIDEO CNN's Bill Schneider says underestimated 'soccer moms' are waiting for Gore to prove himself on issues Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

In 16 years in Congress, Gore held some 1,000 town meetings with Tennessee constituents, and they have become a regular feature of his presidential campaign.

Bush had long resisted the town-meeting style session, but in recent weeks on the campaign trail has been holding them almost daily.

"I've felt comfortable about it," the Republican presidential hopeful said Monday. He said he believed he had more to offer swing voters than his Democratic rival.

CNN National Correspondent Bob Franken and The Associated Press contributed to this report.