Vice President Gore today launched his harshest attack to date on former senator Bill Bradley, ridiculing his rival's health care plan as a big, but bad, idea that would ravage many vital domestic programs and block new initiatives.

The blast came on the day after Gore and Bradley participated in a generally civil town hall meeting in New Hampshire. Energized by what aides said was a strong performance in the Wednesday night event, Gore seized on one of their few areas of difference in an effort to find an opening in his tight race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"It may be a big idea, but it's not a good idea," Gore said, mocking Bradley's trademark "big ideas" slogan. "Alchemy was a big idea, but it wasn't a good idea; the 'Contract With America' was a big idea, but it wasn't a good idea; supply-side economics was a big idea, but it wasn't a good one."