The DUI arrest is expected to have a negligible effect on the election, but Gore has used Bush's Social Security gaffe--which Bush aides have defended as being taken out of context--to question Bush's experience and credibility.

Both Gore and his running mate Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) have increasingly questioned Bush's leadership credentials in the closing weeks, especially on the airwaves. A new Gore television advertisement includes the non-discreet tag line: "Is he [Bush] ready to lead America?"

Bush spokesperson Ken Lisaius derided what he called the "bitter, divisive tone" of Gore's campaign.

"The whole theme of this last week has been bringing Americans together," Lisaius said. "It stands in stark contrast to the Gore campaign's final days of negative, attack-style politics. Our campaign continues to be positive, theirs continues to be negative. I don't think that's lost on anybody."

Gore deputy national spokesperson Devona Dolliole insisted Gore is running a positive campaign, however.

"We have focused on the issues since the beginning of this campaign, and we continue to focus on the issues now," Dolliole said.

Gore must also contend with another potential trouble spot--Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. Nader is running at 4 percent nationally, and could draw away enough liberal-minded voters from Gore to give Bush crucial victories in enough swing states to win the election.

"There's no question in my mind that he has captured the imagination and the emotions of a significant group of people," Linsky said. "In a very close election, that could make a real difference."