Gore Sells Self In Seattle -- `Al Gore Is Not The Stiff Person He Is Said To Be' -- Attends Rally, Exclusive Reception

The last person in line to greet Al Gore at Boeing Field yesterday may have been the guy who knew him best.

The dignitaries and politicians on hand for Gore's presidential announcement tour know the intellectual U.S. senator, the committed environmentalist, the loyal and wooden vice president.

But Seattle native Robert Delabar knows the soldier and friend - an Army volunteer who was tough, compassionate, confident and could party with the best of them.

"He was just another soldier," said Delabar, who roomed in Vietnam with Gore in 1970. "It was a place politics couldn't reach him, and he could be himself."

It's that original Al Gore who some say is emerging as he launches his official campaign, and who has the best chance of nabbing the Democratic nomination for president.

"What he's doing is identifying who he is," said Tony Coelho, campaign manager for Gore 2000. "And it's important for Al Gore to be Al Gore."

Seattle was the next-to-last stop on a six-city jam that began Wednesday in Gore's hometown of Carthage, Tenn. In a rally at Seattle Center, the candidate repeated his drumbeat issues: a stable economy, strong schools, a healthy environment.

And without mentioning President Clinton directly, he heralded a call for a more moral America.

"As president, I will take my own values of faith and family to make sure America is not just better off but better," Gore said.

Gore's overnight stay in Seattle is a nod to Washington's early primary, scheduled for Feb. 29, and to the wealth of contributors here. Washington is considered an important swing state, and Gore's lone Democratic opponent, former Sen. Bill Bradley, has made inroads.

Yet the Seattle visit was notable for what didn't happen: Gore didn't collect any campaign contributions.

Gore has visited Seattle eight times since 1996, and has tapped the area's high-tech wealth to fuel the Clinton-Gore political machine.

Last night he gathered with supporters in the gated Highlands community, north of Seattle, at the home of Nick and Leslie Hanauer, founding investors in Amazon.com. Guests included philanthropist Scott Oki and Microsoft executive Jeff Raikes.

But there was no admission fee at an event that could have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars.

For now, Gore seemed more intent on selling his personality than filling his coffers. Many say it is essential he distance himself from the scandal-ridden Clinton administration - and shed his role as colorless wonk to the dynamic president.

Gore's comments since Wednesday have been designed to deal with both sides of being Clinton's No. 2: He was a primary partner when the stock market boomed, crime rates dipped, unemployment dropped and U.S. troops flew to Kosovo.

But he was nowhere near the Monica Lewinksy affair.

Walking that line will be critical. In this century, only one sitting vice president - Republican George Bush in 1988 - has won election as president.

Gore made his Seattle tour in a taupe suit and cowboy boots - more relaxed than the Beltway standard. And he showed his wit in an exchange with protesters.

Environmental activists tried to outshout Gore's stump speech with a screaming chant: "Al Gore kills baby whales!"

Gore's quick retort: "Every time I come out here, I appreciate the importance of the First Amendment even more."

If the public gets to see Gore on his own terms, they might see beyond the cardboard caricature that is a popular target on late-night TV.

"I would hope he shows that other side," said Delabar, Gore's Army friend. "That's the side I saw and the side everybody loved."

Delabar, who works for a Seattle engineering firm, waited at the end of a 75-person greeting line when Gore arrived at Boeing Field. The vice president seemed delighted by his presence. Gore's wife, Tipper, reached across a restraining rail to kiss Delabar.

At the Seattle Center rally, Delabar, 52, stood without fanfare or introduction to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. It was Gore who later told the crowd Delabar was "one of my best buddies from Vietnam."

The two men met in 1969 at aviation training school in Alabama. Both had graduated from college and enlisted - even though Gore was opposed to the Vietnam War. They were stationed together. Gore was a reporter, and Delabar worked as a psychological operations specialist. Neither saw combat.

"He saw himself as an ordinary person who should have to do the things an ordinary person would have to do in that endeavor," Delabar said of Gore's decision to join the Army.

Few in their group knew that Gore's father was a U.S. senator.

"He was just another guy," Delabar said. "He was totally unpretentious, but at the same time he knew his way around certain places."

The two sometimes drove to the beach or took R&R together to Hong Kong. "Al Gore is not the stiff person he is said to be," Delabar said.

The two telephoned with news over the years, and last saw each other just after Gore was named Clinton's 1992 running mate, when Gore was in Seattle to promote his book, "Earth in the Balance."

Delabar said he's not surprised to see Gore lead a presidential ticket. "He was always incredibly tough, very intelligent and very quick to recognize situations."

And Gore's trademark reserve was seen in his Vietnam days as supreme confidence, Delabar said - a trait that may be misinterpreted in the cocky world of politics.

Now Gore's campaign managers hope they can recast the candidate's image to reflect who he really is.

"The last 6 1/2 years, he was the vice president of the United States - where you have to submerge your public personality for the team," Coelho said. "I would love him to return to being Al Gore of Vietnam."