The Texas governor presented himself as a redeemed sinner who gave up drink for his wife and family.
"My pleasure," he purred when she thanked him.
Generally, Mr Bush's appearance on Oprah, in which he brought the full force of his renowned charm to bear, has received a good press in the US.
The Texas governor presented himself as a redeemed sinner who gave up drink for his wife and family.
The kiss between Mr Gore and his wife Tipper appears to have been the turning point in the campaign so far. Since the kiss, Mr Gore has maintained a slim but consistent lead in the polls.
Struggle with the bottle
Mr Bush's erstwhile drinking problem was discussed at some length.
"Alcohol was beginning to compete for my affections - for my wife and my family," he said.
Asked what the most widely held misconception about him was, Mr Bush replied: "Probably that I'm running in my daddy's name. That if my name were George Jones, I'd be a country and western singer."
Chat shows
Appearances on the chat shows - including the rival Jay Leno and David Letterman shows - are now a crucial part of the presidential campaign.
The theory is that they allow a candidate to show his true self and reach out to swing or undecided voters who would not watch a more formal debate or political discussion programme.
The importance of such appearances is amplified by the fact that the highlights are endlessly replayed on other channels and news bulletins, giving the candidate hours of free air time.
Women's vote
The Oprah Winfrey Show has a regular audience of 22m people. Most of these are working or middle class women, a constituency that is seen as key in November's election. More women are registered to vote than men, and women are believed to be less committed to one party than men.
Al Gore is believed to have the women's vote sewn up. This was underlined by a relaxed and well received appearance with Oprah last week.
At this point in the campaign, Mr Bush is on the wrong side of the widest recorded "gender gap" in US electoral history.
Slightly behind in the polls, Mr Bush actually leads among male voters, but lags a long way behind among women.