In political campaigns, when things go well, they really roll. When things sour, nothing seems to work.

Currently, we are seeing both phenomena at work. For Vice President Al Gore, life is great. He continues to dominate the agenda and drive the campaign toward his issues. Texas Gov. George W. Bush cannot seem to put one foot ahead of the other without tripping.

The essential problem for Bush is that miscues in his campaign have captured the news and prevented the candidate from projecting his message.