Gore Ramps Up for 2000

He was the iron man of the 1998 campaign trail, raising and giving away more money and making more stump speeches than any other Democrat. But Al Gore is having trouble putting together his team for 2000 -- something he hopes to have settled soon so that the operation is in gear by January. A bevy of current and former aides is waging an increasingly nasty struggle over who will run the campaign, with competition particularly intense between former top aides Jack Quinn and Peter Knight. Also in the running for major roles are current chief of staff Ron Klain, Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo and former aides Roy Neel and Elaine Kamarck. Gore is said to be relying heavily on the advice of political consultant Bob Squier, moneyman Terry Mcauliffe and pollster Mark Penn -- the troika that many expect to have actual control when its time to hit the trail.