THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 11, 1995 TAG: 9511110543
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Charlise Lyles
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
I wish the editor of my memoir had been as shrewd as Colin Powell's editor probably is.
``How about a bid for Norfolk clerk of courts,'' she should have suggested in January when my memoir hit bookstores. The from-the-projects-to-aspiring-court-clerk scenario probably would've been a sellout.
Retired Gen. Colin Powell is more than a few good men marched into one. But his business of book peddling and politicking didn't smell right.
It had a self-serving odor similar to Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich's multimillion-dollar book deal before the $1 renegotiation.
The media should have been harder on Powell's 25-city book-tour-turned-pseudo-campaign. The co-mingling of entertainment and possible political aspiration further demoralized the campaign game.
Nevertheless, I wanted Powell to want the White House. The good general could've done great good for his country at a crucial moment.
As a moderate Republican, he would have forced both parties to rethink their increasingly obsolete ideologies. No doubt, the resulting new ideologies would have benefited the everyday working families that make this democracy move.
As the self-proclaimed ``sensible center,'' Powell embodied the best of both parties' priorities: less government and more fiscal responsibility tempered by compassion and some sense of social justice.
Further, Powell's bid for the presidency would've forced each party to compete for black votes.
Democrats, who've long taken the black ballot for granted, would've had to offer more to keep blacks interested.
And by virtue of Powell's candidacy, Republicans would've been perceived as seriously interested in black votes, a first.
Another good: In this time of severe racial divide, Powell, by his mere presence in the Oval Office, would've been a savior to salve our open, badly infected racial wounds.
For he is so quintessentially American, at once embodying the legacies of slavery, the immigrant journey and the Horatio Alger, bootstrapping dream.
At public appearances, Powell's careful, controlled speech unapologetically affirmed affirmative action. He proclaimed himself a beneficiary, affirmative action incarnate. Yet, all America approved. They liked what they saw.
Upright, crisp, in command, not to mention handsome, Powell impressed everyday folk like you and me that he is a man of some mettle, a man of well-earned credentials and character capable of leading.
A poll of blacks, whites and Republicans showed that Powell dwarfed Sen. Bob Dole and President Clinton in six essential leadership measures, according to Knight-Ridder News Service.
They included vision, strength, consistency and the ability to accomplish goals. For example, on integrity, Powell ranked 7.5 points out of 10, compared with 5.9 for Dole and 5.5 for Clinton.
But running for president requires ``a passion and commitment that despite my every effort I do not have for political life.'' The general has spoken.
And that is what's most worrisome about the man who does not wish to be king. It seems those most worthy of the White House are too wise to want to live there. by CNB