In the commercial, after the scene on the White House lawn, Mr. Alexander appears to deliver the anti-Bush message that he has often repeated in recent weeks.

But Mr. Clinton's anti-Bush message was muddled somewhat today as he was forced to explain away more questions from his past.

Both sensed that film was becoming an important medium for disseminating their anti-Bush, antiwar messages - different though the organization's politics are - and both provided financial support and helped spread the word.

But when you don't fill out an anti-Bush message with more substance about your vision for the country, that's more vulnerable than it seems.

This means not only campaigning exhaustively but also pushing the Gore story - and the anti-Bush message - through advertising.

To the Editor: It's hard for me to see how Frank Rich could characterize "The Manchurian Candidate" as having a profoundly anti-Bush message.

Democrats on Capitol Hill are bracing for a confrontational year, and party leaders see a benefit in the competitive Democratic presidential primary, saying the anti-Bush message delivered by the contenders helped amplify what Democratic lawmakers in Congress were saying.

Mr. Gore was almost boyishly loud, pumping his arms in the air like a country preacher and leading the crowd in chanting the anti-Bush message he has made the trademark of his oratory: "It's time for them to go."

As the teacher (Danny Burstein) teases this story out of Mrs. Farnsworth, the anti-Bush message is cloaked in humor, elegance and even some doubt.