Gov. Bush speaks

To the extent that a nomination acceptance speech is the way a presidential candidate formally introduces himself to the nation and sets the tone for the coming campaign, Gov. George W. Bush on Thursday night made a good first impression and struck a chord that resonates. His relaxed though purposeful delivery, hardly riveting, was more than competent. The agenda served up was largely familiar GOP fare, but seasoned with compassion that seems more than a slogan. The words were composed by a team of adequate speechwriters, but the underlying thoughts came across as genuine and personal.

Perhaps most encouraging, though not the subject of one of the many – too many – applause lines, was the governor’s clear message that he intends to reshape and improve government, not demolish it. It’s a long campaign; the longer the tiresome anti-government rhetoric can be forestalled, the better.

Rather than deny that the economy has thrived during the Clinton-Gore years, Gov. Bush wisely acknowledged the boom, but questioned whether the current administration has made the most it. Turning the opponent’s greatest plus into at least a potential minus demonstrates good political instincts. His promise to extend prosperity “to every forgotten corner” and to “those in greatest need,” his line on ending “The soft bigotry of low expectations” in education strongly suggests Gov. Bush wants to lead the party of Lincoln, not the party of Gingrich.

To critics of the art of oration, the speech got a bit bogged down in policy, but that section was an important interlude for a candidate who needs to overcome an image of being uninterested in policy and obligated to the far right. Social Security, Medicare, prescription drug assistance – these are programs the public cherishes but that the Republican Party’s more conservative elements utterly despise. Gov. Bush’s brief and straightforward remarks, though not loaded with details and leaving many questions to be answered, at least made his fundamental support clear.

But of course, the underlying theme of the speech, of the entire convention, as that George W. Bush is not Bill Clinton. More than anything else, this election will turn on the character issue. Vice President Gore’s failure to separate himself from the president on that issue, his reluctance to denounce the many ethical lapses, makes the question of whether Americans want more of the same a fair one.

Next it will be vice president’s turn to introduce himself as he wants to known, not as an enabler of bad behavior, a worrywart about risky schemes and a candidate with nothing better to do than “mess with Texas.” Supporters say he has better writers and a more forceful, polished delivery. As a speechmaker, the bar Gov. Bush set is not terribly high, yet Mr. Gore will need all the help he can get to clear it.