Democrats focus on Seattle area

Vice President Al Gore and former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley all but ignored each other as they crisscrossed King County in a last-minute pitch for Democratic voters in tomorrow's presidential primary.

In a continuing effort to look Seattle-like - Palm Pilot on belt and images of his Mount Rainier climb airing on television - Gore yesterday stopped for a supremo grande drip and dropped the barista a $7 tip. He also made a pitch for a local family fighting an insurance company and walked the picket line with Boeing engineers.

Bradley left Washington after a huge rally today at the University of Washington's Red Square. It appeared to be his largest public event in nearly a week of campaigning here.

"In this campaign, we are sending a message to the rest of this country that we want a government that we can trust," Bradley said. "That we want a government that pays attention to those who haven't made it in the last couple of years."

But even as they avoided each other directly, the Gore and Bradley campaigns continued to take swipes all weekend, attacking each other on radio ads and in press releases.

Gore supporters this morning trotted out a schoolteacher, a firefighter and other voters to denounce a comment from a Bradley aide who said the vice president had courted "party hacks from the beginning."

Yesterday, Bradley was philosophical as he was running out of time on his bet that Washington will boost his campaign. He went to church, played basketball with former Seattle Sonics player Jack Sikma and made connections between sports and politics.

For six days, Bradley focused his resources here in the hopes of getting a boost before the important March 7 Super Tuesday primaries, even though no Washington delegates are at stake in tomorrow's Democratic primary. Delegates will be selected in the March 7 caucuses.

At a rally at Franklin High School, Gore excoriated an insurance company for cutting off benefits to a critically ill Everett baby.

Gore introduced Christine and Dylan Malone and their 6-month-old son, Ian. Ian has brain damage from birth and can't swallow. He must be fed through a tube, have his lungs suctioned hourly and receive a sedative to stop crying and sleep.

The family has hired a nurse to help. But Aetna U.S. Healthcare had said before the case received national publicity that the family can take care of Ian and that professional help is not medically necessary.

Gore told the crowd of several hundred people that Aetna's case manager originally told the family it should consider putting Ian up for adoption so Medicaid would cover treatment costs. A national Patient's Bill of Rights would have helped the Malones, he said.

"Let me also say to this insurance company," Gore said, " `Don't do this. Don't do this. Don't cut this child's coverage.' "

The Malones received a letter from Aetna on Friday saying the benefits would be ended next month.

Today, however, the insurance company reversed itself. Jill Griffiths, an Aetna spokeswoman, said the benefits for the Malones' child would remain in place.

Christine Malone said Aetna "cracked under the pressure. We think he (Gore) saved Ian's life."

Bradley press secretary Eric Hauser said the campaign was aware of the Malones' story and said the family would fare better under Bradley's plan for universal health-care coverage than under Gore's plan to phase it in.

Dylan Malone, swamped with national media attention after Gore's speech, said he hoped all the fuss makes a difference for his son. Knowing Gore was to be in town, he had called the campaign office and asked for help.

"If they want Ian to be the poster child for health-care reform, that's fine," Malone said. "I just don't want him to become the martyr for health-care reform."

In Redmond, Gore visited a home built atop a branch of the same gasoline pipeline that exploded in Bellingham last year, killing three people.

"I will do my very best to help this situation," he said of pipeline safety, offering no specifics.

There was mixed reaction when Gore stopped his motorcade at a Seattle's Best Coffee in Redmond.

"What the hell is all this?" said Bush supporter Connie Linck, visibly angry at the Democrat's appearance there.

But one man on his way home from church fell backward over a shrub in an attempt to get a better view of the vice president.

Early in the day, Bradley drew two standing ovations before a crowd of 1,000 people at First AME Church in Seattle, the oldest African Methodist Episcopal church in the Northwest.

As he has many times when speaking to black audiences, he told stories of his childhood, such as playing Little League sports with black players who were not allowed into the same restaurants or hotels as white players on the team, to make the point that his racial consciousness comes from his personal experiences.

The church's pastor, the Rev. John Hunter, said he wanted Bradley to speak after hearing his denouncement of South Carolina's use of the Confederate flag.

"Bradley's making Gore take stands he wouldn't have taken just to keep up with him," Hunter said.

Information from Seattle Times reporters Sara Jean Green, Joshua Robin, Lynne K. Varner and Jim Brunner was used in this report.