Straw candidate

For an event steeped more in county fair than political decision-making, the non-binding Iowa Republican Straw Poll proved a couple of things.

First, it proved that Iowa Republicans are a hearty and hungry lot. More than 25,000 of them rode cramped buses, stood in long lines in the broiling sun and endured hours of boilerplate rhetoric for a little free barbecue.

Second, it proved that, for the second presidential-election cycle in row, Alan Keyes is the only Republican interested in the highest office in the land who can give a real speech — a speech that moves, that inspires, that energizes. And in his own words, no less.

Third, and most important to Republicans who want to recapture the presidency, it proved that Texas Gov. George W. Bush has the best organization. It remains to be seen whether the best organization has the best candidate.

True, Gov. Bush won this beauty contest with about one-third of the vote. It was a fair-to-middling outcome that he himself said merely “met expectations.” Or, as runner-up Steve Forbes put it, more than two-thirds voted against the winner.

This lackluster result comes not just after months of mild criticism for a campaign short on substance, but after what is coming to be known as The Interview — Gov. Bush’s dreadful performance in an interview for the inaugural issue of Talk magazine.

That now-notorious interview was conducted by Tucker Carlson, a highly regarded conservative journalist surely not out to “get” the putative GOP nominee. The interview revealed Gov. Bush to be someone who wants to be president but has not figured out he first ought to act presidential.

His frequent use of obscenities, including the dreaded “f-word” is disturbing. Not because he knows such words — what grown adult (or 14-year-old) doesn’t? Most grown adults, and 14-year-olds, know that locker-room language belongs in the locker room, not in what essentially is a public forum. The words aren’t nearly as shocking as the lack of judgment the context reveals. If Gov. Bush cusses to show he’s a Regular Joe, he should learn that Regular Joes know when to cuss and when not to.

Asked by Mr. Carlson about the turmoil surrounding the execution of Karla Fay Tucker, Gov. Bush mocked, in the most sophomoric way, the condemned woman’s plea for clemency. A few thoughtful words about the awesome responsibility of carrying out the death penalty would have been preferable.

Asked about whether the rate of abortion in Texas has gone up or down during his administration, Gov. Bush said he didn’t know and didn’t particularly care. Asked what was his least favorite thing to do, Gov. Bush said it was studying the issues regarding the setting of public policy.

This lack of taste, discretion and seriousness of purpose led the conservative columnist George Will, second to none in the desire to see a Republican in the White House, to declare Gov. Bush “not ready for prime time.” The governor went to Rush Limbaugh’s hometown seeking the conservative radio host’s endorsement and got a scolding instead.

Republicans who want to win in November 2000 and not just prove they can nominate whoever they darn well please should follow those leads. Gov. Bush might be the best candidate the party can put forth; he may just need a little tough love to get focused.

A good way to do that would be for GOP leaders to divert some attention to other worthy aspirants who have been somewhat neglected. Arizona Sen. John McCain would be a good choice. He’s smart and independent-minded; he’s been on the right side of issues in which his party’s been wrong, such as campaign-finance reform and special-interest tax-cuts. He has an exemplary, even heroic, military record. And, in language suitable for the kids, he says what he thinks, calling the pay-to-vote Iowa poll “a sham and a joke.”

In reaching out to other candidates, Republican activists may find someone better able to win. At the very least, they can send a subtle message to the front-runner that his victory is not pre-ordained. It been said all along that the presidency is Gov. Bush’s to lose. It’s time someone told him that’s a status report subject to change, not a strategy.