Vice presidential nominees Dan Quayle and Lloyd Bentsen polished their debate lines yesterday in preparation for their 90 minutes in the campaign spotlight. At the top of the tickets, George Bush said he wanted to inspire affluent youths "to help our poor," while Gov. Michael S. Dukakis said the GOP offers only "slogans and symbols."

Republican Quayle and Democrat Bentsen were flying to Omaha, Neb., the site of tonight's debate.

"We're ready," Quayle said during a tour of the Bush-Quayle campaign headquarters.

A new poll released yesterday suggested that the debate would give Quayle a chance to overcome some of the negative images about him that are driving undecided voters away from Bush.

The CBS News-New York Times poll of 1034 probable voters found 48 percent support for the Bush-Quayle ticket and 46 percent for the Dukakis-Bentsen ticket. But when voters were asked about their presidential preference only, the support for Dukakis slipped to 43 percent.

The poll, conducted Saturday through Monday, had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

"We are very, very proud of you," said Republican campaign chairman James A. Baker III. "We are very, very proud of the job you're doing for this campaign, and we are very, very proud of the job we know you're going to do tomorrow in Omaha."

When asked what tactics he'd use against Bentsen, Quayle said, "My debate strategy? Tune in tomorrow night."

"Feeling good," said Bentsen, while walking from a practice studio to his hotel in Austin, Texas.

Spokesman Mike McCurry said Bentsen was working on "the best way of making a point memorable or punchy."

Dukakis campaign manager Susan Estrich, who was in Austin helping Bentsen, said, "We're not teaching him new positions on issues...I think that's what the Quayle people have to do."

Bush was in Sacramento, Calif., and he outlined his plan for a quasipublic foundation called Youth in Service to America to encourage young people to volunteer in community activities.

"I want our affluent to help our poor," hesaid. "I want the young men and women of ourtree-lined suburbs to get on a bus, or the subway,or the metro, and go into the cities where thewant is."

The Republican presidential nominee describedhis proposal as an alternative to massive federalspending.

He said years of federal programs designed tohelp the poor had proven that "we can't buy ourway out."