Presidential hopefuls Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore sparred over several volatile foreign policy issues last night in their second nationally televised debate.
In a 90-minute roundtable discussion at Wake Forest University, Bush set out to convince voters that he has the knowledge and maturity to be president, trying to appear especially statesmanlike during the opening segment on foreign policy.
Meanwhile, Gore tried to tone down the attack-dog mentality he brought to the first debate. At times he appeared subdued, hesitating to make the strong accusations against Bush that characterized his campaign only a few weeks ago. He made a special effort to avoid the sighs and looks of exasperation that proved unpopular among many Americans last week.
Both candidates spoke out in support of Israel and called for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to help end the violence that has plagued that nation during the last week.
"We need to insist that Arafat send out instructions to halt some of the provocative acts of violence that have been going on," Gore said. "We stand with Israel, but we have maintained our ability to stand as an honest broker."
Bush said he supported how the Clinton administration has handled the situation thus far and emphasized the importance of uniting behind the president in times of crisis overseas. Almost half the debate focused on foreign policy issues ranging from the Clinton administration's handling of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to the situation in the Balkans.
When debate moderator Jim Lehrer presented each candidate with a list of the United States' recent military actions, Gore said he agreed with each of the decisions Clinton had made.
Bush criticized the decision to send troops to Haiti and said the mission in Somalia was not justified because its goals shifted from peacekeeping to "nation building."
In addition, Bush said he believes the Clinton administration should have acted to stop ethnic violence in Somalia that eventually killed more than half a million people.
The focus on foreign policy marked a definite change for the two candidates, who have concentrated more on domestic issues such as taxes, health care and social security.
In the past few weeks, Gore has seen a downturn in the polls as Bush finally overcame the lead Gore took after the Democratic Convention in August.A ABCNews/Washington Post poll of likely voters has Bush leading Gore 48 percent to 45 percent.
If early indications are correct, Gore did not do enough in the debate to regain the lead. ABCNews reported that snap polls taken last night showed most viewers thought Bush won the debate.
The race remains tight, however, and both candidates will have to wait for the final debate to be held Oct. 17 at Washington University in St. Louis.
(Associate Executive Editor Ryann Manning and The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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