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By Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 17, 2000; 1:00 PM

ST. LOUIS, Oct. 17 -- It is the debate where neither candidate can afford a distraction, but it may be defined by distractions.

When Vice President Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush face off at 9 p.m. (EDT) for their third of three debates, the format will be adjusted to give each a moment to make a comment saluting the host governor, Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan (D), who perished in a plane crash last night as he campaigned for the United States Senate.

The continuing violence in the Middle East, and the surprise progress announced today at the summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, is throwing the spotlight on international affairs in a race where both candidates had been emphasizing domestic concerns. Neither campaign is sure how it will be affected by the sudden attention to America's role in the world, which could arguably hurt or benefit either man.

Campaign officials huddled this morning to determine whether the debate should go ahead, and they decided it should. An official from the Commission on Presidential Debates said the decision was made after a conference call with officials from the commission, the campaigns, local governments and Washington University, where the debate is to be held. All supported the decision, the official said.

"It seems to us that it is totally in support of Gov. Carnahan’s commitment to, and career in, public service to make sure that this event, which focuses on his state’s citizens, go forward in his honor," said Janet H. Brown, executive director of the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.), the House minority leader, told NBC's St. Louis station by phone, "That, I guess, is the right decision. This is a national debate, and it goes on. But a lot of us will be there with heavy hearts because this is a terrible, terrible loss in Missouri."

Answering town-hall-style questions from an audience of undecided Missouri voters chosen by the Gallup Organization, Gore plans to emphasize that, as one of his aides put it, "prosperity is on the ballot."

"We have a choice to move forward or go backwards," the aide said. "The vice president will lay out a compelling reason as to why people should support him. He is the one who will keep the economic policies in place that have produced this economy, and will build on them."

Bush signaled during a campaign rally on Monday that he plans to bash Gore as a profligate spender—"a man who wants to take all of our money."

Appearing on CBS's "Early Show," Gore's running mate, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, said "One of the first most irksome points that Governor Bush makes is that somehow we're for big government, they're for the people. The fact is that we're not about expanding government. We're about expanding opportunity and making sure that we do it in a way that reduces the size of government, which we're committed to."

The crash cast a pall over the usual festivities of debate day. Bush's wife, Laura, canceled a rally she had scheduled for this morning with parents and students at Webster College in St. Louis.

This morning, Bush's campaign canceled an endorsement conference call that had been scheduled with Griffin Bell, who was United States attorney general under President Jimmy Carter; Rep. Virgil Goode, a Virginia independent and former Democrat; and former astronaut Eugene Cernan.

Before the plane crash hit the news, Gore's staff tried to get a 24-hour head start on debate spin by slipping a packet, "A Guide to the Misstatements Made by Bush," under the hotel doors of the members of Bush's traveling press corps.

Gore has been focusing on Bush's stewardship of the environment, health and criminal justice system in Texas, but Bush declared mischievously at a rally in St. Louis on Monday night that he looks forward to defending himself.

"It's going to be a great opportunity to continue to just explain to people as clearly as I can my intentions, what I want to do should I be fortunate enough to become the president," Bush said. "I'm sure there's going to be some moments when we go back and forth. Maybe there's going to be some discussion about Texas."

Bush paused while a chuckle rippled through the crowd and then said with a comic's timing, "I certainly hope so."

The crowd applauded.