THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2002 -- Yesterday was the first day on the general campaign election scene. It was also the first day Republican attack dog Kerry Healey came face-to-face with her Democratic counterpart Chris Gabrieli.

The scene was the New England Cable News parking lot in Newton Center. Gabrieli arrived first and was talking with a handful of people prior to an appearance on NECN’s " News Night. " Healey pulled in moments later in her signature pick-up truck. (A top of the line four-door Ford F-150 -- no banged up Dukes of Hazzards thing for Healey.) Healey got out and confidently greeted Gabrieli, who was standing with Republican pundit Avi Nelson, Joe Ganley, and me. The two hadn’t seen each other since the primary campaign. Healey had appeared at a press conference 8 a.m. that morning and attacked O’Brien and called into talk radio programs to criticize O’Brien’s record at the Treasury. Top on the list of her complaints was the more than $1 million growth in the budget at the Treasury (a development that O’Brien describes as a necessary enlargement to grapple with the embezzlement and mismanagement of the tenure of her predecessor, Republican Joe Malone.)

Having been briefed on Healey’s activities that day, Gabrieli took a somewhat aggressive approach in the parking lot. " Let’s debate right now, " Gabrieli challenged her. Healey, who had greeted Gabrieli ( " Hi Chris " ), ignored his challenge and marched into the NECN studios. Later on -- prior to her performance on NECN -- she called Gabrieli " thoughtful. " Not that Gabrielli should consider it a compliment. After a bruising primary battle against Jim Rappaport, Healey must consider any opponent " thoughtful. " When Healey appeared with Margie Ready of News Night, she comported herself with a far more polished and effective demeanor than she demonstrated back last January when I was on the show with her. That was when she was the newly-installed chairman of the Republican Party, and I was -- well, exactly what I am now, an ink-stained wretch. I watched as Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh rendered Healey speechless with a relentless attack on the lack of Republican corporate responsibility in light of the Enron affair.

But that was then and this is now and the new Healey is a disciplined, relatively articulate, spokesperson for the GOP gubernatorial ticket. The debates with Rappaport seem to have paid off. The irony for the Republicans is that thanks to her rough-and-tumble primary campaign, Healey may be a superior debater to Mitt Romney, whose handlers have kept him under wraps.

That said, Gabrieli’s still more of an asset to the Democratic ticket than Healey is to the Republican. He brings the Democrats a Tsongas-like focus on the economy and budget matters. He has devoted much of his work to after school programs that help kids in Boston and elsewhere. He gives the ticket an outsidery-flavor.

Both Gabrieli and Healey departed without major incident. Both appeared in separate segments. But soon the time for one-on-one debates will come. And they’ll be worth watching.