Bullied pulpit

It was supposed to be different this time. The Columbine massacre was so horrifying, the link between violent thoughts and deeds so clear, that something definite, lasting and meaningful would be done.

It was supposed to start at the White House Monday, at President Clinton’s conference on teen violence. Those who raise kids’ spirits were there — such as poet Maya Angelou, singer Gloria Estefan, educators and religious leaders. So were those who whet their appetites for blood — entertainment industry executives. And, of course, so were those who provide the utensils for the gory feast, the gun manufacturers.

If Mr. Clinton’s intent was to create a rift within the gun lobby, he may have succeeded. The American Shooting Sport Council, representing gun makers, was an honored guest; it embraced several administration proposals, such as closing the gun-show loophole for purchases and raising the age for handgun possession to 21. The National Rifle Association, which represents gun owners and which opposes such measures, was not invited. It was left to fume at a press conference down the street. Later, the council and the association stood side-by-side and swore that the president had not driven a wedge between them. And they were almost convincing.

But demonstrating that several million gun fanciers don’t all think exactly alike is a rather small accomplishment for an event so highly anticipated, so full of promise. The president had television, movie, music and computer-game producers — the entire swill industry — as a captive audience and he let them get way.

Mr. Clinton said he did not hold the conference to lay blame, to point fingers. Too bad. Everything was set for this very gifted orator to ascend the bully pulpit, to shake the rafters, and the entertainment industry, with a sermon. About how the right to free speech does not equal an obligation to spew poison. About how, after 20 years of fiddling around, Show Business must finally come up with a rating system that is understandable. About how the relentless promotion of the most violent products makes any rating system pointless. About how all this talk of the need for better parenting and better teaching is just blame-shifting – parents, teachers (and kids, for that matter) don’t stand a chance against multi-million-dollar advertising campaigns.

But the president said nothing like that. Perhaps he will at the big Democrat fund-raiser his Hollywood pals are holding later this month. Instead, his voice silenced by a thirst for campaign contributions, he offered a few plaintive bleats about public-private endeavors, new studies, task forces and blue-ribbon panels.

The singer Estefan had the guts to say, in the presence of her industry’s leaders, that parents ought to fight back by hitting Show Business in the pocketbook, by refusing to let children buy violent products. That’s an important message, but one that would carry much farther if spoken from the lofty pulpit of the presidency.