By Will Lester
Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, Nov. 3, 1999; 2:48 a.m. EST

LITTLETON, N.H. –– Acknowledging the need to spend more time with the people of New Hampshire, George W. Bush plans to do just that.

"As we get closer to elections, it's going to be a full-time presence," said the Republican presidential front-runner who has been criticized for skipping two candidates' forums in this state, which holds the nation's first primary on Feb. 1.

Bush also is hearing the footsteps of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., whose heavy campaigning here has pulled him to a solid second in the New Hampshire polls behind Bush.

In a new ABC News national poll, Bush is far in front of the Republican field, viewed favorably by seven out of 10 Americans and retains a healthy 16-point lead in a head-to-head matchup with Democratic front-runner Al Gore.

But some New Hampshire residents are still grumbling about the Texas governor's absence from a town forum last week, although others say they understand his decision to see his wife Laura honored at Southern Methodist University.

"There's no question that Bush will win New Hampshire," said Jim Walker, a Republican official from the town of Haverill. "But he's hurt himself by not being in the debate."

If Bush has sometimes been criticized for being too tightly scripted and distant from the voters, that was not the case Tuesday in New Hampshire.

The candidate started his final speech of the day, at the Elk's lodge here, by acknowledging his absence from the New Hampshire debate had stirred up a controversy.

"I know there was a little bit of a flap about my wife Laura," Bush told Walker and several hundred others at the lodge. "But I wouldn't have missed that for the world. It's the best decision I've ever made."

But he spent much of Tuesday asking for New Hampshire votes.

He gave the third of his major speeches on education Tuesday, telling a business group in Gorham that he wants to restore order to the "moral chaos" in the nation's schools by enforcing tougher discipline, demanding more accountability and allowing students to transfer from chronically bad schools.

After the eloquent address, laced with quotes by everybody from Martin Luther King Jr. to Franklin Roosevelt, Bush opened the floor to questions.

He handled most of the questions easily, but seemed to meander for almost five minutes when asked about the threat of rural areas getting left behind in the Internet age.

"As the nature of our economy changes, if our children are not educated, not just in reading and writing but right and wrong, the American dream will not touch every willing heart," he said in part of his response to the Internet question. He gave numerous examples of changes brought by the Internet and said rural areas could prosper if they are included on the information "highways."

After the speech in Gorham, Bush's campaign bus stopped at a diner in Littleton where he cheerfully greeted people for about a half hour, stopping to talk to several more in the light rain outside.

Bob Riedel, who works at a local manufacturing plant, said it was unfortunate that Bush missed last week's candidates forum in Hanover, but noted Bush has agreed to join his rivals for a similar event on Dec. 2 in Manchester.

Allan Bean, a forest fire patrolman, said Bush's absence was understandable "because he has other things to do. He is governor of a state. He said it (the absence) was for family reasons and I'm impressed by that."

Bush finished his long day of campaigning at the Elks' Lodge, where he spoke and then stayed late answering questions from the crowd as his staffers nervously looked at their watches.

He talked about his priorities for the American military, his support of free trade, his support of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for gays in the military and his opposition to gay marriages.

His speech included numerous references to "compassionate conservatism," explaining in impassioned tones that fiscal conservative policies can be combined with a concern for the least advantaged.

At the Elks' Lodge, retired psychologist Suzanne Ropes admitted she hadn't made up her mind about Bush yet. "I have been a Democrat, an independent and a Republican," she said. "I don't vote on one party or the other."

After his speech and long answer session, she said she found Bush to be "sincere, a family man" genuinely concerned about people "even though he was born with a golden spoon."

She concluded: "I like him."