Funny man talk show host David Letterman invited Al Gore and George W. Bush earlier this year to debate on the Late Show with Dave Letterman, which airs on the CBS network, but only Gore has accepted the invitation, reported ABC online.
Vice President Gore will appear on Sept. 14, his second visit to Letterman's show since being elected vice president in 1992. He first appeared on the show Sept. 8, 1993, said ABC.
"I have accepted it along with others," Gore said of the offer to appear on the show.
Asked by reporters aboard Air Force Two if a debate on the program would provide the "adult" dialogue Gore has challenged Bush to engage in, the vice president said, "Everybody knows that's a little different, but that is not to say, 'Don't do it."'
Bush, who appeared on the show March 1, has yet to accept or turn down the debate invitation, which has led the talk show host to mock the Republican candidate and his press officers frequently on air.
During the Republican National Convention in July, Letterman repeatedly complained that Bush press secretary Mindy Tucker had not returned numerous phone calls from the show's producer Maria Pope who was inquiring about the debate.
When Tucker finally did call back, she told Letterman's Pope that Bush had received dozens of invitations for debates with Gore but was still reviewing all his options.
Bush said on Wednesday he would debate Gore at a time when most Americans would be able to watch on television but declined to commit himself to three television encounters sponsored by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.
"All the invitations are being treated seriously. We have not ranked the invitations we have received," Bush campaign spokesman Ray Sullivan said-Albawaba.com.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
