AL GORE--PARTY LEADER?:

Graham defends Penelas against Gore: U.S. Sen. Bob Graham praised Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas' Democratic credentials in response to harsh criticism from former Vice President Al Gore. (BETH REINHARD, 6/07/04, Miami Herald)

Supporters of Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas roared to his defense Sunday after former Vice President Al Gore called him ''the single most treacherous and dishonest person I dealt with'' during the contested 2000 presidential campaign.

The most powerful comeback came from Florida's top Democrat, U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, whose seat Penelas is seeking.

''People in Florida who know Alex Penelas know he is a quality person and has been a Democrat under difficult circumstances,'' Graham said in a telephone interview with The Herald that was facilitated by the Penelas campaign. ``It is not easy in Miami-Dade County to be a vocal Democrat as a Cuban American.

''He's been very helpful to many Democrats, including Bob Graham, in the past, and I am proud to call him a friend and supporter,'' Graham said.

Graham did not directly address the substance of Gore's remarks, which were e-mailed by a spokesman Saturday in response to a Herald inquiry about Penelas' role in the 2000 campaign.

Gore supporters say Penelas broke a promise to rally the Hispanic community in the crucial homestretch. National fundraisers solicited money for Penelas, who faced his own reelection in September 2000, so he could avoid a runoff and help the national ticket.

The day after Gore issued the reproach turned into a contest of Democratic firepower between Penelas and U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch, a Senate rival who has accused him of abandoning Gore in 2000. For every high-profile Democrat the Penelas campaign cited as a supporter, Deutsch's staff referred to another party leader who would criticize the mayor.