October 14, 2002

Tensions between White House press secretary Ari Fleischer and journalists escalate; reporters claim that they cannot remember any administration that was less forthcoming or more grudging in informing press; cite paucity of presidential press conferences and lack of briefings by administration policy experts; White House claims strict adherence to own message and break from tradition of gossip-mongering; table outlines Fleischer's morning; photo (M) invocation of national security constraints since Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; photo; table (M)

Jon Pareles reviews concert by David Bowie at Snug Harbor Music Hall, Staten Island; photo (M)

Third Campaign, First Debate Gov. George E. Pataki of New York, and his Democratic rival, H. Carl McCall, after Mr. Pataki's first-ever debate as a candidate for governor. They were joined on stage by five minor-party candidates. PAGE B1 Donor Praise for Karzai Afghanistan won resounding praise from international donors for its plans to work toward self-sufficiency, positioning it to win their long-term assistance. PAGE A8

Voters take advantage of variety of early voting procedures that have swept across states and counties over last 15 years, and more than 15 percent may cast votes before Election Day; are voting in supermarkets, libraries, county clerks' offices, shopping center parking lots and mailboxes and are part of phenomenon recasting way campaigns are being conducted nationwide; evolution of procedure into Election Month is altering fundamental rhythm of political campaigns, forcing candidates and advisers to rethink every facet of how they run for office; campaigns are starting earlier and costing more, and kinds of attacks and appeals that may typically be saved for end are being raised way ahead of time; new approach, promoted as means of making it easier to vote and reversing long-time trends of less voter participation in American elections, has to surprise of many proponents produced no appreciable increase in turnout in most states that have adopted it (M)

South Carolina's governor's race, too close to call almost from start, is one of several extremely competitive races shadowed by voters' worries about economy; contest is between incumbent Democratic Governor Jim Hodges and Republican opponent Mark Sanford; incumbents or chosen successors are being held responsible for stalled economy and kept on defensive about its consequences, namely, budget deficits, squeezed spending for social services and looming tax increases; governors of both parties in several states are facing kinds of questions about pocketbook issues that candidates in Congressional races have been largely able to avoid; only 16 incumbent governors are seeking re-election in November, out of 36 races nationwide; while Republicans in several states are enjoying double-digit leads, handful of Democratic incumbents are having more difficulty; photo; chart (M)

Janet Maslin reviews books No Way to Treat a First Lady by Christopher Buckley and Tricky Business by Dave Barry; photos (M)

Slashdot.org, online publication with millions of dedicated readers, survives and thrives while print publications of dot-com bubble falter; Ann Arbor, Michigan, venture combines rich view of technology with off-kilter wit under slogan 'News for nerds. Stuff that matters'; photos (M)

Western officials say bombing of popular tourist discotheques in Bali, Indonesia, that killed nearly 200 people is different type of terrorism from what Bush administration has campaigned against and will open new geographic front in struggle; target was not American Embassy, military outpost or financial institution that would represent American power, of sort that terrorists have attacked in past; was nightclub whose revelers were mostly Australians and Europeans; attack puts intense pressure on Indonesian government to face terrorist threat at home more seriously; confirms warnings by American and Singaporean officials, ignored by Indonesia, that Al Qaeda cells were hiding in Indonesia, Muslim nation with porous borders and weak law enforcement; is condemned by Pres Bush as 'heinous' and Australian Prime Min John Howard as 'act of barbarity;' is one of deadliest on civilians anywhere in world in last decade and seems intended to undercut feelings of safety, even in remote enclave; occurred on faraway island, primarily populated by Hindus, with reputation for tranquility and popular as resort with backpackers and wealthy alike; State Dept orders all dependents of American diplomats to leave country, along with all nonessential personnel (M)

Gov Pataki and six other candidates for governor meet for their first debate, NYC, sponsored by WABC-TV and Daily News; it is first time since 1990 that sitting governor participates in such a forum with major party rival; Pataki has refused to debate unless all candidates are invited, turnabout from 1994 when he refused to debate Gov Mario M Cuomo because Cuomo insisted that third-party candidates be there as well; participating in debate are H Carl McCall, Democratic candidate, Thomas K Leighton of Marijuana Reform Party, Gerard J Cronin, Right to Life candidate, Scott Jeffrey, Libertarian candidate, Tom Golisano, Independence candidate, and Stanley Aronowitz of Green Party; issues discussed noted (M)

Defense Secretary Donald H Rumsfeld sets out personal set of guidelines for committing US forces to combat that echo and refine military thinking of Caspar W Weinberger, defense secretary in Reagan administration, and Sec of State Colin L Powell, former chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff; argues that America's leaders must quickly judge when diplomacy is failure, and must then act forcefully and early to foil attack on nation; says if actions fall short, America must be willing and prepared to act decisively to use force necessary to prevail, plus some; says nation's leaders must never 'dumb down' mission to gain support from public, Congress, UN or allies; says leaders must avoid promising not to do certain things, since such pledges simplify planning by foe, just as artificial deadlines for American military withdrawal allow enemy to 'simply wait us out' (M)

Profile of flamboyant magazine-publishing executive Ronald A Galotti, who returned to Conde Nast as GQ publisher after contentious launch, with Tina Brown, of now-defunct Talk magazine; he comments; interview; graphs of GQ advertising sales and circulation; photo (M)

Under Ruling, Prilosec May Still Face Generic Rival While AstraZeneca scored a victory late Friday in its battle to keep generic drug makers from undermining its $5.7 billion franchise in Prilosec, the popular ulcer treatment, it was hardly a complete one. A federal judge did uphold two important AstraZeneca patents on Prilosec, and the company said those patents were valid until 2007. But the judge also left the door wide open for an American unit of the German company Schwarz Pharma to make a lower-cost version much sooner. Market Place. [Page C2.]