ASHINGTON - Texas Governor George W. Bush was hit with a surprise quiz on foreign affairs and scored only 25 percent.
The Republican presidential front-runner sat down Wednesday with WHDH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Boston, and was asked to name the leaders of four current world hot spots: Chechnya, Taiwan, India, and Pakistan.
He was able to give a partial response to just one: Taiwan.
That drew immediate criticism from the camp of Democrat Al Gore, which said the vice president could have answered all four correctly.
''I guess we know that `C' at Yale was a gentleman's `C,''' said Gore spokesman Chris Lehane, referring to the way Bush has described his academic record.
The Bush campaign brushed off the incident.
''The person who is running for president is seeking to be the leader of the free world, not a Jeopardy contestant,'' said Karen Hughes, Bush communications director.
The questions were put to Bush by political reporter Andy Hiller during a break in Bush's campaigning in New Hampshire.
Hiller asked: ''Can you name the president of Chechnya?''
''No, can you?'' Bush replied.
''Can you name the president of Taiwan?'' Hiller asked.
''Yeah, Lee,''' responded Bush, referring to Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui.
''Can you name the general who is in charge of Pakistan?'' asked Hiller, inquiring about General Pervaiz Musharraf, who took over last month in a military coup.
For the record, the president in Chechnya, the Russian breakaway region and scene of current fighting, is Aslan Maskhadov.
The prime minister of India is Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
