The debate over who lost Russia is intensifying as the U.S. presidential election draws near. Although the United States' policies toward post-Soviet Russia have been bipartisan, politicians sense that Vice President Al Gore is especially vulnerable because of his cochairmanship of the Gore-Chernomyrdin Commission, launched as the keystone of the Clinton administration's partnership for peace. This well-staffed and lavishly funded assignment was intended to elevate Gore's stature, endowing him with the patina of a senior statesman, assuming — as seemed sensible eight years ago — that Russia would eventually make a successful transition.