DAYTON, Ohio — Opening a week meant to highlight his commitment to bipartisanship, presumptive Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush promised to strike a more civil tone in Washington and then jarringly launched a new offensive against the veracity and motivation of his Democratic opponent.
Those somewhat dissonant notes underscored the delicate balance Bush is seeking as he promises to temper the partisan hostilities in Washington even as he repeatedly criticizes the personal ethics and integrity of Vice President Al Gore and President Clinton.
Meeting with residents here to discuss his proposals for helping the poor accumulate savings, Bush painted himself as a politician committed to narrowing partisan differences--a theme he is expected to stress again tonight at a major Republican fund-raiser in Washington.
Touting endorsements from two current and two former Democratic Texas state legislators who traveled with him to Ohio, Bush said the backing "sends a signal to America about the kind of president I'd be--someone who is willing to work with both Republicans and Democrats."
Bush even gibed Republican congressional leaders when asked if they had contributed to the confrontational climate in the capital.
"I know it all starts with the leader and the president sets the tone," Bush said. "On occasion, the Republicans have tried to respond in like manner, and they haven't done well in doing so."
But Bush's own tone was much more confrontational as he responded to Gore's policy criticisms. Bush accused Gore of misrepresenting his economic plan in his speech Tuesday--the first of a series the vice president's campaign says is meant to clarify the differences in the race.
Bush said that Gore had significantly overstated the cost of his proposed tax cut--which Bush says will cost $1.3 trillion over 10 years but which Gore charges will cost more than $2 trillion and demand massive cuts in federal programs to fund.
"He is willing to stretch the truth and exaggerate in order to get ahead," Bush said. "I am running against a person who is so anxious to become the president that he will do whatever it takes."
Bush said that such accusations do not undermine his promise to provide a more civil political tone because they amount to "defending my record."
Opening a new front in the economic debate, Bush's campaign released a paper Tuesday alleging that Gore has promised almost $1.9 trillion in net new spending over the next decade--a sum they describe as significantly larger than their proposed tax cut.
