ON MTV, GORE HITS HIP BUTTONS AND DREAMS OF AIR FORCE ONE

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 26 - He did not have to choose between boxers or
briefs. But in a lengthy MTV forum today, broadcast tonight, Vice President
Al Gore did reveal that he had a compact disc by the alternative rock band
Sister Hazel in his CD player right then, that he would probably write for
a living if he were not otherwise employed next year, and that he coveted
Air Force One more than any other White House perquisite.

Between hip cultural references about Napster and the World Wrestling
Federation ("Smackdown!" Mr. Gore exclaimed when the topic was raised), the
vice president explained his support for civil unions between homosexuals,
his opposition to the legalization of medical marijuana and his distaste
for misogynistic music. He was not asked about his underwear preference, as
President Clinton was in a now infamous 1994 MTV forum ("Usually briefs,"
he responded).

Mr. Gore said little in the 90- minute session that he had not said
previously during the campaign. But he clearly relished the opportunity to
take his case directly to 150 students in an auditorium at the University
of Michigan and to a youthful nationwide television audience. A recent poll
by MTV found that less than half of those ages 18 to 24 said they planned
to vote this year, compared with 80 percent of older Americans.

Wearing khaki Dockers and a sage shirt, Mr. Gore pledged to commit more
money to college financial aid, to protect the environment and to safeguard
abortion rights. But the drama of the session was provided by the students'
ability to personalize questions on subjects the Gore campaign is
accustomed to addressing in position papers and statements.

A black student asked Mr. Gore about racial profiling by telling how he was
recently surrounded by six police cars while driving with four black
friends. A gay man asked why his heterosexual friends should be able to
drive to Las Vegas and marry someone they barely know when he cannot form a
legal union with a longtime, committed partner. A woman who opposes
abortion rights asked about that issue by pointing out that her friends
sometimes use abortion as a form of birth control.

Responding to the question about profiling, Mr. Gore pledged to sign a ban
on the practice as "the first civil rights act of the 21st century."

On gay rights, he said he strongly favors ending discrimination against
gays and lesbians. "I just think we've come to the point in our nation's
history where it's time to take that step," he said. "It's indefensible.
Let's just leave people alone and stop discriminating against them because
of who they fall in love with."

Mr. Gore said he supported civil unions like those recently approved in
Vermont.

On abortion, the vice president said that RU-486, the abortion pill, should
be made available once the Food and Drug Administration determines it is
safe. He also agreed that the practice should not be used as a form of
birth control.

"But I think that it's not for the government to make that choice," Mr.
Gore said. "I deeply respect your view and I think actually the pro-life
and pro-choice forces in this country have more in common than either side
is willing to acknowledge. Both sides would like to see a reduction in the
number of abortions, and the way to do that is to reduce the number of
situations where women feel like they have to make that choice."

Mr. Gore also took questions on popular culture and the entertainment
industry, which has been a focus of his campaign this month.

He said he did not support censorship. But he also did not hesitate to
offer his personal view that Americans should protest entertainment that
advocates homophobia, violence against women or racial discrimination. "I
don't go along with the notion that if material like that becomes widely
accepted and nobody thinks a second thought about it that there are no
consequences to it," he said. "I think that what we listen to and enjoy and
spread around in our culture does have an effect on us."

One student told Mr. Gore he was tempted to vote for Ralph Nader, the Green
Party candidate, and challenged him to "assure me that a vote for Al Gore
is a conscientious vote, not simply a vote for the lesser of two evils."
Mr. Gore cited his support for tough environmental enforcement and consumer
protections.

"I don't think anybody wants to feel like they have no options," Mr. Gore
said. "At the same time, they don't want to cast a meaningless vote that
doesn't have an impact on the outcome."