Dashing through the snow.

Every four winters, New Hampshire becomes to politicians and journalists what Lambeau Field is to Green Bay Packer fans each fall: the closest point one comes to finding the Holy Grail. At least, that's the way the situation seemed for the 11 editorial writers, editors, or television commentators who met up in Concord, New Hampshire, in mid-January.

Thanks to the careful planning of our captain, Capital Times editorial page editor John Nichols, the group saw the Big Four in action -- and then some. Al Gore, Bill Bradley, George W. Bush, and John McCain were all in the state during our trip and still locked in tight races.

As in 1996, when the National Conference of Editorial Writers first sponsored a New Hampshire trip, Democratic activist and talk show host Arnie Arnesen started off our visit with a lively, thorough debriefing of New Hampshire. Arnie knows more about the state's politics than Dwight Eisenhower knew about planning invasions. And she delivers it with as much energy as Bette Midler performing live.

We next dashed to hear Bill Bradley address a Common Cause rally outside of Manchester. The national press corps was swarming around, but so were plenty of curious citizens. New Hampshire may not represent America's broad diversity, but its citizens sure have passion. And they expect politicians to answer their questions, which mostly deal with real problems, not polling data or campaign strategies.

Our Bradley evening ended with a late trip back to his campaign's Manchester headquarters. We met there with his press secretary and got a wonderful feel for the kind of cramped, collegiate atmosphere that characterizes presidential campaigns. Sleeping bags on the floor. Tons of kids working late. An old warehouse turned into an office. Banners, buttons, and stickers everywhere. New Hampshire presidential campaigns are where C-SPAN meets MTV.

Bruce Davidson of the San Antonio Express-News and I felt honor-bound to see our governor speak, so we drove across the state to catch George W. Bush in Portsmouth. (We hope he appreciates the effort, because we fought through one hecknva snowstorm coming and going.) For those of us who only watch political campaigns being fought over the airwaves, it is almost incomprehensible that a group of 300 or so citizens actually get to listen to a hopeful's speech and then pepper him with questions.

Such episodes make the grind of daily journalism worthwhile. Here you are, six o'clock at night, standing in the middle of a gym in New Hampshire, snow piling up outside, six inches from a potential president, firing questions and surrounded by a mob. The fever of the moment sure made up for some dull editorial board meetings.

The personal encounters also gave each of us a wonderful chance to form impressions of the major candidates. Several members of our squad, for example, were struck by how diffident Bill Bradley seemed when he first appeared at a student rally in Manchester. While his supporters cheered him on, the Democratic hopeful did not warm to them until a supporter came up and hugged him. It wasn't an Ed Muskie-like moment, but it provided a glimpse into the detachment that dogged his campaign.

On the other hand, Al Gore campaigned brilliantly in two different rallies. We could almost sense that momentum was shifting as crowds listened to him in Salem and Concord. He fielded questions in an informed, direct way. He was warm and personable. And he had none of the wooden-ness that draws barbs from late night comics. I don't think any of us were surprised that he soon overtook Bill Bradley's once-comfortable New Hampshire lead.

John McCain's Straight Talk Express was everywhere, of course. The senator stayed in our Concord hotel one evening, and then took on guests the next morning for a trip downstate. I joined up, and got to see the road show in action.

The five-day trip concluded on a Saturday evening in Portsmouth with a relaxed dinner with New Hampshire Senate majority leader Burt Cohen, a top Gore supporter.

Thanks to John Nichols, we had plenty of chances to interview officials and supporters from each campaign. He put together an impressive list of people for us to visit with over dinner or at their offices. The itinerary included a stop at the Concord Monitor, where editor Mike Pride hosted a brown bag lunch. It probably makes sense to adopt some kind of regional primary system so that others have a greater voice in nominating candidates. But New Hampshire and Iowa should continue to launch every presidential cycle. Their citizens value politics as much as Packer fans love their football. I just hope that we get to visit their sacred turf in another four years. U

NCEW member Bill McKenzie is associate editor and columnist for The Dallas Morning News.