What to do about hate in the Middle East and hate at home were two subjects that held specific interest for the Jewish community during Vice President Al Gore's and Texas Gov. George Bush's Oct. 11 presidential debate at Wake Forest University -- their second of three scheduled debates before the Nov. 7 election.

It was only hours before terrorists in Yemen killed American sailors by dynamiting the U.S. destroyer Cole and Palestinians fatally beat and stabbed three Israeli soldiers, prompting Israel to retaliate with rocket attacks on two Palestinian police stations, that moderator Jim Lehrer asked the candidates how they would go about resolving the Middle East conflict.

Gore, the Democratic nominee, answered first: "The first priority has to be on ending the violence, dampening down the tensions that have arisen there," he said. "We need to call upon Syria to release the three Israeli soldiers who have been captured (near the Lebanese border). We need to insist that (Palestinian Authority President Yasser) Arafat send out instructions to halt some of the provocative acts of violence that have been going on."

Further, Gore continued, "I think we also have to keep a weather eye toward Saddam Hussein because he's taking advantage of this situation to once again make threats and he needs to understand that he's not only dealing with Israel, he is dealing with us ..."

Gore noted that preceding the debate there had been a brief subsidence of violence, adding "our country has been very active with regular conversations with the leaders there. And we have to take it day to day right now.

"But one thing I would say where diplomacy is concerned: Israel should feel absolutely secure about one thing. Our bonds with Israel are larger than agreements or disagreements on some details of diplomatic initiatives. They are historic. They are strong. And they are enduring. And our ability to serve as an honest broker is something that we need to shepherd."

Bush said he believed that "during the campaign, particularly now during this difficult period, we ought to be speaking with one voice. And I appreciate the way the (Clinton) administration has worked hard to calm the tensions. Like the vice president, I call on Chairman Arafat to have his people pull back to make the peace."

The Republican presidential candidate added: "I think credibility is going to be very important in the future in the Middle East. I want everyone to know, should I be the president, Israel's going to be our friend. I'm going to stand by Israel.

"Secondly," said Bush, "that I think it's important to reach out to moderate Arab nations, like Jordan and Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. It's important to be friends with people when you don't need each other so that when you do there's a strong bond of friendship. And that's going to be particular important in dealing not only with situations such as now occurring in Israel, but with Saddam Hussein. 

"The coalition against Saddam Hussein has fallen apart, or it is unraveling, let's put it that way. The sanctions (against Iraq) are being violated. We don't know whether he's developing weapons of mass destruction. He better not or there's going to be a consequence should I be president."

Bush added that "it is important for this nation to develop an anti ballistic missile system that we can share with our allies in the Middle East, if need be, to keep the peace, to be able to say to the Saddam Husseins of the world, or the Iranians, 'don't dare threaten our friends.'" The energy crisis, he said, is another reason for strong ties with the Middle East. "After all the energy is produced from the Middle East."

Lehrer, alluding to the abstention by the United States on a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning what was described as "excessive force" by Israel in putting down the Palestinian riots, questioned Gore whether the United States "should declare itself and not be so neutral in this particular situation."

"We stand with Israel," Gore replied. "But we have maintained the ability to serve as an honest broker. And one of the reasons that's important is that Israel cannot have direct dialogue with some of the people on the other side of conflicts, especially during times of tension, unless that dialogue comes through us. And if we throw away that ability to serve as an honest broker then...we will have thrown away a strategic asset that is important not only to us but also to Israel."

Bush said he agreed with Gore on that point. However, he suggested that the United States should not try to impose timetables on peace making -- apparently a reference to President Bill Clinton's attempt to persuade the Palestinians and the Israelis to conclude the peace deal before he left office.

"Any lasting peace is going to have to be a peace that's good for both sides. ...This current administration has worked hard to keep the parties at the table. I will try to do the same thing. But it won't be on my timetable. It'll be on the timetable that people are comfortable with in the Middle East."

Asked if there were any real differences in their positions on the Middle East, Bush suggested that he "would be able to convince people I could handle the Iraqi situation better.... There's no inspectors now in Iraq. The coalition that was in place (during the 1989-1993 presidency of Bush's father) isn't as strong as it used to be. He (Saddam) is a danger. We don't want him fishing in troubled waters in the Middle East. ...It's going to be important to rebuild that coalition to keep the pressure on him."

Gore, noting that he and vice presidential running mate Joe Lieberman were among a few Democrats who crossed party lines to vote for the Gulf War resolution brought by President Bush's administration, noted that the war "for whatever reasons... was not finished in a way that removed Saddam Hussein from power. 

"I know that there are all kinds of circumstances and explanations,"
Gore said. "But the fact is that that's the situation that was left when I got there. And we have maintained the sanctions. 

"Now I want to go further," Gore said. "I want to give robust support to the groups that are trying to overthrow Saddam Hussein. And I know there are allegations that they're too weak to do it. But that's what they said about the forces that were opposing Milosevic in Serbia. And you know, the policy of enforcing sanctions against Serbia has just resulted in a spectacular victory for democracy just in the past week. ....You know all these flights that have come in (to Iraq), all of them have been in accordance with the sanctions regime, I'm told, except for three, where they notified. And they're trying to break out of the box, there's no question about it. I don't think they should be allowed to."

The relatively gentle exchange on the Middle East was in contrast to a much more pointed debate on the question of hate crimes laws.

After both men expressed opposition to the concept of "racial profiling," in which police stop people for questioning based upon the racial characteristics of the neighborhood they are in, Gore said that James Byrd, an African-American who was dragged to his death behind a car in Texas, "was singled out because of his race...and other Americans have been singled out because of their race or ethnicity. And that's why I think that we can embody our values by passing a hate crimes law."

Bush said Texas already has a hate crime law, "and guess what? The three men who murdered James Byrd, guess what's going to happen to them? They're going to be put to death. A jury found them guilty, and it's going to be hard to punish them any worse after they get put to death. "

The Texas governor also said he is concerned that "Arab Americans are racially profiled on what's called 'secret evidence.' People are stopped. And we got to do something about that. My friend, Senator Spencer Abraham of Michigan, is pushing a law to make sure that, you know, Arab Americans are treated with respect. So racial profiling isn't just an issue with local police forces. It's an issue throughout our society. And as we become a diverse society, we're going to have to deal with it more and more."

Bush expressed the belief that "most Americans really care; they're tolerant people; they're good tolerant people. It's the very few that create most of the crises. And we just have to find them and deal with them."

Gore -- expressing himself tentatively in response to past criticisms tht he exaggerates -said it was his "impression" that a proposed hate crimes law failed at the end of the last Texas legislative session, despite the support given the measure by Byrd's family. "There may be some other statute that was already on the books, but certainly the advocates of the hate crimes law felt that a tough new law was needed. And it's important...because this mirrors the national controversy. There is pending now in Congress a national hate crimes law because of James Byrd, because of Matthew Shepherd, (a gay man) who was crucified on a split rail fence by bigots, because of others. And that law has died in committee also because of the same kind of opposition."

Bush said he liked a version of a hate crimes bill sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, but not one formulated by Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. As for the Texas bill, Bush said, "there was another bill that did die in committee, but...if you have a state that fully supports the law, like we do in Texas, we're going to go after all crime, and we're going to make sure people get punished for the crime. And in this case, we can't enhance the penalty any more than putting those three thugs to death, and that's what's going to happen in the state of Texas."

Later news reports pointed out that Bush had erred in this statement. In fact two of the three defendants received the death penalty in the Byrd case; a third was sentenced to prison.

Asked about "same-sex relationships," Bush said "I'm not for gay marriage. I think marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman and I appreciated the way the administration signed the Defense of Marriage Act. .... I'm going to be respectful, for people who may disagree with me....I've been a person that would have been called a 'uniter, not a divider,' because I ... accept other people's point of view, but I feel strongly that marriage should be between a man and a woman."

Gore agreed that he had supported the Defense of Marriage Act, but said "we should find a way to allow some kind of civic unions" for homosexual couples. "And I agree with (Republican vice presidential candidate) Dick Cheney and Joe Lieberman, and I think the three of us have one view and the governor has another view.

Bush replied "I'm not sure what kind of view he's ascribing to me. I can just tell you, I'm a person who respects other people... I will be a tolerant person. I've been a tolerant person all my life. I just happen to believe strongly that marriage is between a man and a woman."

Gore challenged Bush to support the proposed Employment Nondiscrimination Act, which would prevent a person from being fired from a job because of sexual orientation. 

"I don't know the particulars of this law," Bush replied. "I will tell you ... I don't hire or fire somebody based upon their sexual orientation. As a matter of fact...I don't really think it's any of my ... concern... how you conduct your sex life....But I'm going to be respectful for people. I'll tolerate people. And I support equal rights but not special rights for people." 

Responding to a question from Lehrer, Bush defined "special rights" as "if they're given special protective status."