ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 26, 1996 TAG: 9603260028
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
AMONG THE great debates raging about the candidacy of Bob Dole - in addition to who will be his running mate, what he should do about Pat Buchanan, and whether he can stop referring to himself as "Bob Dole" - is the question of whether he should be allowed to be himself.
Dole's droll wit is infamous, and his sarcasm is often taken as the manifestation of a mean streak. Efforts to suppress the communication of mordant asides that naturally occur to him may have contributed to Dole's much-commented-on mumbling and awkwardness on the campaign trail. His handlers are said to constantly discuss whether to "let Dole be Dole."
We say, let him be him. The presidential campaign trail, not to mention the White House, has witnessed a dearth of wit this century - Roosevelt, Kennedy and perhaps Reagan being the notable exceptions. Amid the grimness of politics these days, from political correctness on the left to self-righteousness on the right, a little leavening humor would be appreciated.
When suggesting a step toward balancing the budget, ``Arkansas - sell it!,'' or describing Presidents Carter, Ford and Nixon after a reunion as ``See no evil, hear no evil . . . and evil,'' Dole is enlivening the national dialogue. He is hinting he doesn't take too seriously the pomposity of speechifying.
And his darts, characteristically delivered in Midwestern deadpan, aren't always aimed at others. When he recently addressed the National Governors' Association, he noted that the governors had already sat through two days of meetings and speeches, and added: ``So I thought I might liven things up by giving my State of the Union response again'' - referring to his televised rebuttal almost universally regarded as a disaster.
We're as worried as anyone by the decline of civility in political discourse. We also think a certain degree of respect and decorum is essential when you're talking about the leader or potential leader of the free world. What, however, has America come to if we can't take the occasional joke?
LENGTH: Short : 43 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICS PRESIDENTby CNB