We spent most of today with the Gore campaign, riding along with the press corps while the vice president made a couple of stops in Manchester. Before the actual campaigning, we did the whole "press thing" -- rushing to get to Gore's hotel in time to be included in the motorcade only to find out that the trip was running behind schedule. So, we hung out in the hotel and waited .... for almost three hours. Not that we're jaded! In fact, the general consensus was that it was pretty cool to travel with the vice president.

Our first stop (once we got going) was a Dunkin Donuts in Manchester, where Gore bought doughnuts for some poll workers. The visit was short and the doughnut shop was small. All but a few members of the press had to wait outside, jockeying for a good space to get pictures and grumbling about being left out. But the trip seemed pretty routine, and most of the journalists were pretty laid back about it. Once Gore got back on his bus, we hustled past the secret service vans and got back into our vehicle to head to a Manchester polling site.

Gore wasn't allowed to enter the building (politicians can't go into the voting areas), so he handed out doughnuts and coffee outside the Beech Street School. A small crowd had gathered to support the vice president -- along with a few anti-Gore protesters, some who supported Bill Bradley and one who loudly cheered for Lyndon LaRouche.

But the crowd seemed incidental when compared to the press. Like at the McCain rally yesterday, spectators were asked to lower signs and posters if they blocked cameras. And, while Gore shook hands and talked with supporters, it seemed more important that the photographers capture the glad-handing for their various news agencies.

But Gore and his staff aren't the only ones using the press -- and the voters -- to improve their image. We saw a similar kind of production when we went duck bowling with George W. Bush. Very few supporters were allowed into the Leda Lanes bowling alley, and the place was literally packed with journalists and photographers. Each time Bush bowled, he mugged for the cameras and struck some sort of pose. All the while, members of his staff and security detail kept order.

Throughout his address, Bradley repeated the themes of dreaming big and improving the nation while it's in the midst of unprecedented prosperity. Over and over, Bradley asked the crowd what they dreamed for their futures, urging his supporters to elect a president who wasn't afraid to act boldly in order to make sweeping improvements to the nation and the government. He also lamented the fact that in the American government, oftentimes, "money sets the agenda." To break that pattern, Bradley spoke in favor of creating tough campaign finance legislation to eliminate so-called "soft" campaign contributions. But his real plea was that his supporters go to the polls tomorrow. Without a strong showing, Bradley said, none of their goals and dreams would be reached.

After the Bradley event, we found out that AL Gore had canceled his planned appearance at a Nashua high school because of the snow. So, we headed straight to Concord for John McCain's campaign appearance.

We arrived at the capitol a few minutes before the Arizona senator was expected to arrive, but we were soon told he would be 30 minutes late. That wouldn't have been a big deal except that the event was outside and the area was slushy with melting snow. And the crowd was starting to get antsy. Everyone was cold and crowded, and a lot of McCain supporters were grousing about how they were being treated. Several people we talked to were irritated that they couldn't see over the media photographers, who who were in front and in back of the crowd. An additional complaint was that supporters were given posters and signs but told they couldn't hold them up because they would block the television cameras' view of McCain.

When McCain finally arrived, he was flanked by his family and by South Carolina Reps. Lindsey Graham, one of the chief impeachment prosecutors last year, and Mark Sanford. McCain touched on familiar themes during the brief speech. He urged voters to remove the Clinton-Gore administration from office and elect a new, honest ticket. McCain lashed out at Vice President Gore over alleged corruption at fundraising events during the 1996 campaign, and McCain urged his supporters to banish special interests and big money from the U.S. government. McCain called upon his experiences in the military and the Senate and promised voters that he would be an honest alternative to the rest of the political field. "You have my promise as president of the United States to always act on principle, and I will always tell you the truth no matter what," McCain said.

Our first stop along the so-called "Central Corridor" (which runs from Concord to Manchester to Merrimack and Nashua) was Al's Diner, a restaurant known for attracting political candidates. Our waitress, Brenda Gagne, had met most of the presidential hopefuls during campaign stops at Al's. She's become a local celebrity for sharing her thoughts on the candidates and for voicing her opinions on election issues. She spent some time with us and gave us her brief assessment of the men vying for the White House.

Brenda, a Republican, said the candidate she found most personable was Vice President Al Gore. According to Brenda, Gore immediately chatted up the employees at Al's and joked easily with customers. In fact, Brenda estimates that Gore gained a lot of votes during his appearances at Al's by showing that he's a lot more charming in person than the stiff image he normally shows on television.

Her feelings for Republicans Alan Keyes and Steve Forbes are not as warm. Brenda said Forbes and Keyes virtually ignored the employees at Al's, adding that Keyes "wouldn't even talk directly to the waitress." She was disturbed by the snubs and said they indicate that the men would not be concerned for individuals if they were elected president. But she said she wasn't surprised that multi-millionaire Forbes wouldn't socialize with the working people: "It comes from his upbringing ... When has he ever had to work for a living? When has he had to worry about bills?"

Brenda reserves a special ire for GOP front-runner George W. Bush, who hasn't visited the diner despite promises by his staff that he would stop by. For Brenda, the missed campaign stop is tantamount to a broken promise to the American people. And she's concerned that promises are being broken so early in the campaign.