The chief strategists of Election 2000 were reunited, if not reconciled, at the ARCO Forum Friday as the campaign managers for President George W. Bush, Al Gore '69, Sen. John S. McCain (R-Ariz.), Bill Bradley and Ralph Nader shared their experience and wisdom from the campaign trail in a 90-minute panel.

Continuing a tradition begun in 1972, the Institute of Politics hosted its eighth Campaign Decision Makers Conference this weekend for campaign staff, press and observers to conduct a postmortem on the tumultuous political process that produced the recently elected president.

The conference's proceedings will remain confidential until this summer, when a book compiling the fruits of the discussion will be published--but the managers of the five largest presidential campaigns of 2000 offered the public a glimpse into the discussions in the only open press event on Friday.

The panel began with a partisan tone, as Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile took several thinly-veiled jabs at the legitimacy of the Bush presidency and the good faith of the Republican Party in the 36-day Florida litigation conflict.

By the end of the panel, however, the combatants were more complimentary and expressed a greater mutual respect for one another.

One of the most remarkable elements in the 2000 campaign, panelists said, was that three of the five campaigns were managed by women.

Brazile noted that she was also the first-ever black woman manager of a presidential campaign.

"I can get down with the boys," she said in response to the question of how easy it was for her as a woman to do her job in a field largely dominated by men. "I'm scrappy. I know how to pick a target and aim. I like to take Republicans out as often as I can."