T-Minus Two Weeks & Counting ...

Political surrogates for George W. Bush and Al Gore jousted over the presidential race on CBS News' Face The Nation on Sunday.

Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) said Bush is less prepared for the White House than his current job as Texas governor might imply, since that office has few real powers.

"I'm not saying that he is not smart enough. I'm not even saying he is not competent enough," said Kerrey of Bush. "I'm saying that experience matters. The governor has been governor of Texas for five years. It is a weak governor by (the Texas) constitution. The legislature meets once every two years. The U.S. Congress is not the Texas legislature."

But New York's GOP Gov. George Pataki said Bush is more than ready for the Oval Office given his credentials as a Washington outsider and his ability to bring Democrats and Republicans together.

"The great presidents like Ronald Reagan have come from the governorship, because they have been leaders who have had experience in hands-on management and bringing together legislatures. Governor Bush has had a Democratic legislature his entire first term, but he worked with it well."

Now that Bush seems to have the edge in this tight race, will Al Gore keep his arm's length distance from his boss, President Clinton, on the campaign trail? Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) told Face The Nation that Mr. Clinton has already contributed to Gore's campaign with his fund-raising help - as well as his strong record on the economy, welfare reform, and crime.

"This is not a campaign about the past, other than the degree to which the past can give some certification for the future. This is a campaign about Al Gore and his view of America, and that's what the American people are going to vote on," said Graham.

Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, a Republican, offered his take on Vice President Gore and Mr. Clinton.

"They were together for eight years and the people now want a change for America. And I think it's somewhat surprising that they kept telling how great they were as a team, and now Al Gore's absolutely petrified to be seen on the same stage as Bill Clinton."

Graham and Thompson come from surprise battleground states in this race. Florida was supposed to be a cinch for Bush, since his brother Jeb is the Sunshine State's governor. And while Wisconsin trends Democratic in presidential elections, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader is siphoning off enough of Gore's likely support in the Dairy State to make Bush competitive there.

Six months ago, said Graham, "people would have thought Florida was Bush country, and you wouldn't see the candidates, and they wouldn't be spending any time or money down there." The difference, he added, is that Gore's message on Social Security and Medicare are appealing to Florida voters.

Thompson made much the same point about Bush's strength in his state on issues from Medicare and Social Securitto tax cuts, military readiness, and the size of government.

"He's campaigning, he's articulate. He's given a vision for a America that the people in Wisconsin are responding to," said Thompson.