In a somewhat tense exchange, one that played to a purported weakness of the vice president's, Bush tried to refute Gore's allegations about his tax cut and prescription drug benefit plans, saying Gore was using incorrect figures.

"This is a man who's got great numbers," Bush said. "I'm beginning to think he not only invented the Internet but he invented the calculator. It's fuzzy math."

Gore stared ahead icily and later castigated his opponent for the comment.

Bush argued that he would change the tone of Washington through his leadership and make both parties work together, which he said has not happened during the Clinton-Gore administration. He bragged about his reputation in Texas governing circles as a bipartisan consensus-maker.

"I've been the chief executive officer of the second biggest state in the union, and I have a record of working with both Republicans and Democrats," Bush said.

"They had a chance to get something done," he said. "I'm going to work with Democrats and Republicans."

The two also sparred on the question of energy policy, which has become an issue with recent oil shortages and high oil prices. Gore said that he would focus more on changing consumption patterns, while Bush emphasized his position that the country should become less dependent on other countries for oil by doing more exploration in the United States.