Vice-President Al Gore and former Senator Bill Bradley responded to questions before an audience of 300 local and mainly liberal people, at one of America's Ivy League Universities, Dartmouth, New Hampshire.

Most papers highlight the lack of controversy in the event.

"On a wide array of issues, the two candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination agreed more than they disagreed as they appealed to liberal primary voters for stepped-up financing on mental health, special education and environmental measures and for more stringent laws protecting homosexuals," the New York Times notes.

'Relaxed' contenders

Gore: "more aggressive"

Both men appeared relaxed throughout, the Washington Post correspondent says, "but Gore approached the evening as a potentially pivotal moment in which he needed to dispel recurring criticism that he is aloof or distant. He even stayed around for almost 90 minutes afterward answering questions from the audience and the press."

The Washington Post notes that the forum marked the biggest event to date in the fight for the Democratic nomination and came after Mr Bradley drew even and then overtook the vice-president in several state-wide polls in New Hampshire.

But the Washington Post quotes recent nationwide polls suggesting Mr Gore may have stopped the trend.

A Gallup poll showed Mr Gore closing the gap with GOP leader Texas Governor George W Bush.

A month ago, Mr Bush led 56% to 39%; the new survey put Mr Gore behind by 9 percentage points.

Few of the questions dealt with foreign policy, the Washington Post reports, but notes that Mr Gore and Mr Bradley "appeared to have some differences in their willingness to commit US forces overseas."

"We're the natural leader of the world," the paper quotes Mr Gore as saying.

Mr Bradley, however, the Washington Post says, "warned that there were too many ethnic conflicts in the world that the United States must choose carefully where to deploy forces and when to rely on multilateral or regional institutions."

'Aggressive' Gore

Bradley: "serious and calmer demeanour"

New Hampshire's Nashua Telegraph sees the vice-president as the winner of the contest, while Mr Bradley wasted his chances to shine.

"Gore often came across as the aggressor, taking advantage of a free-flowing format often to rebut answers by Bradley as well as to answer questions posed to himself," the Nashua Telegraph's writer says.

"Often, Gore engaged in a conversation with citizens asking questions. By contrast, Bradley ignored chances to criticise Gore, such as one question on campaign fundraising scandals during the Clinton-Gore campaign in 1996."

The New York Times and several other papers also note Mr Gore's relative aggressiveness, but the NY Times writer does not see it necessarily as a plus for the vice -president.

"Bradley was far less aggressive but he appeared comfortable on stage. In some ways, his serious, calmer demeanour was more fitting of an incumbent," the paper says.

'Differences in style and substance'

On the other side of the United States, the Los Angeles Times' political writer was more impressed by the session, calling it a "civil but intermittently pointed" meeting "that highlighted differences of style as much as substance".

The Los Angeles Times says Mr Gore's emphasis on the cost of Mr Bradley's agenda - which also includes a series of steps to reduce child poverty - "suggests that the issue is likely to become an increasing focus in the days ahead".

"While Bradley said Gore's estimate about the cost of his healthcare programme was wrong, he never directly responded to the vice president's charge that such a level of new spending could harm the economy," notes the Los Angeles Times writer.

The Boston Herald's writers went home with the notion that "Gore has sought to shed his policy wonk image, seeking to present a more friendly, folksy face to voters.