PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

A first debate is like a first date--it's the one people remember. That's why the preparation for it is so intense. The White House suggested that Bill Clinton was "cramming" for his first encounter with Bob Dole. The challenger, for his part, spent most of the week at his condo in Bal Harbour, Florida, reading briefing books and scanning the cloudy skies for beneficial rays. (On Friday he gave up and opted for a sun lamp.)

In picture-book Chautauqua, New York, for each of three evenings before the debate, Clinton held a mock session with smooth-talking former Senator George Mitchell, who played Dole. The main advice to Clinton: Don't let Dole drag you off the presidential pedestal, stay on your sunny message and don't bite your lip. Dole rehearsed in the first-floor ballroom of his condominium building, where the campaign set up a stage bathed in TV lights. Aides sat at a table to the side, using flashlights to signal when time was up. Playing Clinton was former actor and good ole boy Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson. Dole was getting advice from so many people that one suggested too many cooks were at work. Main advice to Dole: Be relaxed, listen to the questions and try to pin Clinton down. And don't glower.