What Bradley brings

Will Rogers was rarely proved wrong about anything, but when he said, “I belong to no organized political party — I’m a Democrat,” he hadn’t anticipated Vice President Al Gore. Finally, after months of finding himself, Mr. Gore has not only organized his campaign, he has it poised to roll over his primary opponent, Sen. Bill Bradley. As the Maine caucus draws near, Democrats here might ask whether this is good for their party.

Certainly, the election strategy of the 1990s, as defined by President Bill Clinton, is to head for the political middle, borrow your opponents’ ideas whenever useful and cover broad issues with small proposals designed to offend no one. The vice president does this extraordinarily well. But the recent surprising success of Sen. John McCain in the Republican primary suggests that this strategy might be dated. Voters now are looking for something more; they want someone in the White House they admire, someone who lives for more than simply to be elected to office.

That difference shows up in the policies of the two candidates. The vice president’s health plan aims only for what is politically achievable; Sen. Bradley’s plan, the most ambitious being debated, provides leadership and a way to cover everyone, using competition in the market to keep coverage affordable. The vice president has made much of his endorsements from environmentalists, but Sen. Bradley outscored Mr. Gore on conservation-group ratings. On campaign-finance reform, Sen. Bradley has been out front while the vice president has spent his time explaining what he thought he was doing at that Buddhist temple.

More than taking the lead on issues that define Democratic Party, Sen. Bradley has demonstrated during every step of this race that restoring the dignity of the office — the dignity of this nation — is paramount to his campaign. There is no reason to reject Vice President Gore because of the actions of President Clinton. There is reason to renew the honor of the presidency by electing someone who acts as if honor is more than a political strategy.