'DON'T worry about loving him, I'll take care of that," said Tipper Gore about her husband Al. It's a sad admission that concedes how truly unloveable waxwork Al is, but then after his seven years as vice president, Tipper's had long enough to observe what people think of him.

On the other hand, Laura Bush, who has kept a lower profile during the US election campaign, gives little away about her relationship with her husband George W.

The Gore versus Bush battle may be the dullest American election ever, a contest that even the candidates' wives have failed to set alight. Yet, Tipper and Laura are an intriguing pair, and it shouldn't be forgotten that America will be voting for its new First Lady as much as a new president on Tuesday. Mrs Gore and Mrs Bush are both moralistic, conservative, wholesome wives and mothers. With only a year between them, they even dress similarly in the "heartland chic" conventional tailoring.

Both have suffered sadness in their lives and have a toughness that will stand them in good stead whichever reaches the White House.

Born Margaret Elizabeth Aitcheson (her nickname comes from a Spanish song, Ti-pi-tin), Tipper's parents divorced when she was a child.

When Tipper met Al at his graduation dance in 1965 she was immediately smitten and they married five years later. The Gores have four children. Tipper has used Al's entry into politics to speak out on certain issues, most noticeably the use of explicit lyrics in pop music. She also took a puritanical line over Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky.

Politically, Laura seems a much safer bet, less predisposed to speak out though no less moralistic. A former librarian and primary school teacher from Texas, she tamed her husband of 20 years from a beer-swilling fraternity boy to a tee-total Methodist. They have two daughters - Barbara and Jenna, named after the girls' grandmothers. Tragedy in her life came when she was 17 and drove her car into a friend's, killing him; she was cleared of blame.

Perhaps the only significant difference between Mrs Gore and Mrs Bush is in their personalities.

Tipper, already a public figure and a Washington Wife of many years' standing, scores highly for her devotion. She's been there, blonde bouffant bob bouncing in the background, throughout the US election campaign. She looks and acts younger than her 52 years.

Laura, 53, has more decorum. She's bookish and reserved yet tough and fiercely independent. If she does turn political as First Lady, her pet subject is likely to be education