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Jewish World Review Nov. 7, 2000 / 9 Mar-Cheshvan, 5761
Philip Terzian
In either case, it represents a gamble for both sides.
Governor Bush chose to guard his family's privacy, and talk in generalities about sowing
his wild oats. But now, on the eve of the election, he is faced with the question of why he
would have risked a media firestorm, reviving old stories about his personal history. The
Governor is correct to wonder about the timing of this November Surprise; but he can only blame
himself for the damage it might cause.
For Vice President Gore, the choice of tactics was clearly born of desperation. In the last
few weeks he and his surrogates have resorted to name-calling, rumor and innuendo in place of
argument. Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., was dispatched to the television studios to cast aspersions
on Bush's military record. And faced with a challenge on Gore's leftward flank, partisans are
talking about Ralph Nader's sex life, and digging up writings from 40 years ago. These tactics
could work, and snatch the election from the grasp of Governor Bush. They could also serve to
crystallize what people don't like about Vice President Gore.
In the meantime, it is useful to recount what we know. To begin with, the circumstances
under which the TV reporter in Portland, Maine obtained her story are not just suspicious; they
are painfully obvious. The lawyer who happened to deliver the information into her hands, Tom
Connolly, is a longtime Democratic activist and delegate to the 2000 Democratic Cnvention in
Los Angeles. Of course, it is possible that Mr. Connolly stumbled upon the information earlier
in the day, by accident, and chose to share it with a malleable journalist. It is also possible
that the information was delivered to him from somewhere deep within the Gore campaign, with
instructions to release it at the optimum moment.
Given all that we have learned in the past eight years about the way the Clinton-Gore
apparatus works, which scenario seems more plausible?
It is also useful to recall the Bush perspective. The Governor has never hidden the fact
that he is not perfect, or that when he was "young and irresponsible [he] he was young and
irresponsible." When allegations about drug use were swirling about in the primaries, Bush took
what seemed to be a risky position: He acknowledged that he "did a lot of foolish things" in
his younger days, but declined to be specific. And with some reason. Had he opened the
floodgate in one direction, he would have been deluged from all sides, and spent the balance of
his campaign responding to inquiries about when he stopped beating his wife.
It is worth noting that this decision not only failed to harm Governor Bush with the
electorate, but might well have proved a source of strength: Americans tends to respect a zone
of privacy, and unlike Al Gore, Bush has never boasted about things he never did. His saga of
sin and redemption tends to resonate in turn-of-the-century America.
There is a further point which speaks to the question of character. In 1976, when the
30-year-old, unmarried Bush was stopped by a traffic cop near Kennebunkport, Maine, he did not
pull rank or drop his father's name, who was not only a local worthy but a national figure as
well. The policeman in question says that Bush "was a picture of integrity" that night: He
admitted that he had been drinking, he acknowledged wrongdoing, he paid his fine, he resolved
to do better.
As we have learned, perhaps too often in this campaign, that was the beginnin of Bush's
late maturity. Getting married to the estimable Laura Welch, fathering twin daughters and
giving up drinking were steps he took in an upward succession. Bush appears to have learned
from his errors, rather than repeated them, and transformed himself, with experience, into a
better human being. There is no evidence that he is anything other than the exemplary citizen
he appears to be, or the honest, diligent public official who seeks to restore "dignity and
honor to the White House."
It is those qualities, among others. that have attracted voters to him in this
unconventional year. Those qualities, and the contrast they offer to the Clinton-Gore
environment, where mistakes have been compounded in the absence of character. The electorate is
looking for someone to settle, not exacerbate, the partisan ugliness that grips the capital
city, and is happy to admit that he once ran afoul of a traffic cop in Maine, and learned his
11/01/00: Take the Lieberman test
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