Then, they figure out a weakness and suddenly he isn't such a fearsome hitter. The post-convention Gore has now adjusted to Bush, neutralizing or stealing some of his most effective themes. They have begun to sound a little tinny and irrelevant. If changing the tone in Washington means getting rid of Clinton, Gore can implicitly argue, he'll be gone in January no matter what. So, Bush's characterization of Gore as a nasty attack-dog no longer quite takes anymore.
People prefer substance to process.
Because of the substance, people may well begin to like his tone. Couple this rhetoric with Gore's Vietnam service, and suddenly an issue that seemed so powerful when Bush borrowed it from McCain doesn't seem like such a winner anymore. I think he has to wrestle with where that line is and how appropriate his remarks have been. All of these factors contribute to the way the Bush campaign currently seems on its heels. Republicans are despairing.