Surely to no one's surprise, The New York Times today endorsed John Kerry for next week's New York primary. Still the best newspaper in the world by far, The Times echoes and in some points only alludes to the real strengths of Senator Kerry that I have seen for almost three decades; points that I will bring forth more fully in a piece that I am still working on. In the interim, read this editorial carefully, and try to hold back the knee-jerk responses that "sound bite" journalism has instilled in so many minds about one of the most intellectually complex, exquisitely nuanced and emotionally courageous leaders of the last three decades in America.
I know that many will guffaw at my words here; I ask you please to truly think about what leadership is and what it is not. Here, I will briefly tell you only some of what it isn't: It isn't a legislative record of bills with one's name on them; legislators and legislation are about compromise and deals struck. That is why so few Senators were elected president during the 20th Century. Leadership is also not about consistent ideology--or ideology of any kind, but most certainly not consistent ideology. Here let me paraphrase the great Supreme Court Justice and thinker, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr: I reserve the right to change my mind; or here to quote him exactly: "To have doubted one's own first principles is the mark of a civilized man."
I will have much more to say about why I believe that John F. Kerry is exactly the man America needs at this most pivotal moment in time: a time when the next wrong, rash, faith-based move could send us hurtling down not a slippery slope but a self-righteously greased crevasse without end. Indeed you should now know that John Kerry is the "leader" who was the model for my essay: Give Me That Old Time Liberalism.
The search for a Democratic presidential nominee has been defined by an Anyone-but-Bush sentiment, an obsession with choosing the man who will run the best campaign. But in the end, the party needs to pick the person who is most qualified to be president. That's why this page endorses Senator John Kerry in Tuesday's primary.
Senator John Edwards, Mr. Kerry's only serious competitor, has been terrific on the campaign trail. He has a great speech and enormous discipline, and he makes a direct and genuinely emotional connection with people of all backgrounds. It's easy to envision him as the nominee four or eight years down the line, or on the ticket for vice president this fall. But Mr. Edwards has spent only a few years in public life. When he departs from his stump speech and discusses domestic issues or -- particularly -- foreign affairs, his lack of experience shows.
It's true that Mr. Edwards has as much or more experience than George Bush did when he entered the White House in 2001. But that was a different era. Now Americans understand better that they live in perilous times, and they aren't likely to feel comfortable switching leaders this fall if the challenger seems to require a lot of on-the-job training. Mr. Bush himself was not well served by the thinness of his resume when Sept. 11 occurred.
Mr. Kerry, one of the Senate's experts in foreign affairs, exudes maturity and depth. He can discuss virtually any issue of security or international affairs with authority. What his critics see as an inability to take strong, clear positions seems to us to reflect his appreciation that life is not simple. He understands the nuances and shades of gray in both foreign and domestic policy. While he still has trouble turning out snappy sound bites, we don't detect any difficulty in laying down a clear bottom line. His campaigning skills are perhaps not as strong as his intellectual ones, but they are pretty good and getting better. Early in the race he alienated some audiences with brittle, patronizing lectures. But he has improved tremendously over the last few months. His answers are focused and to the point, and his speeches far more compelling.
If Mr. Kerry wins the nomination, the Bush administration will undoubtedly attempt to paint Mr. Kerry as a typical Massachusetts liberal, but his thinking defies such easy categorization. His positions come from mainstream American thought, centrism of the old school. He has always worried over budget deficits. His record on the environment is extremely strong. He is a gun owner and hunter who supports effective gun control laws, a combat veteran who, having seen a great deal of death, opposes capital punishment. A sense of balance comes through when he is talking. Unfortunately, so far in this campaign Mr. Kerry has shown little interest in being daring, expressing a thought that is unexpected or quirky on even minor issues. We wish we could see a little of the political courage of the Vietnam hero who came back to lead the fight against the war.
While Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards have both demonstrated the physical and mental endurance that now seems a requisite for presidential candidates, Mr. Kerry has been the real comeback star this year. His early campaign was disastrous, and his slip from favorite to also-ran was so dramatic as to be embarrassing. But he pulled his organization together and handily won the early primaries. This was not the first time in his political career -- or his life -- that he has shown the toughness to keep going when things turn sour. That's a quality critical to a presidential nominee -- and to a president.
The primary contest has now come down to two competing arguments. Mr. Kerry's supporters say Mr. Edwards suffers from a gravitas gap. Mr. Edwards's partisans say Mr. Kerry is on the wrong end of a charm chasm. The senator from Massachusetts seems to us to have warmed up a good deal since the campaign began. He can take the edge off his patrician aura, at least in part, by retelling the story of his Vietnam exploits and bringing back loyal blue-collar friends from the service to attest to his virtues as a leader.
Almost everyone who has been watching the Democratic campaign would love to merge Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards into one composite super-candidate, with Mr. Kerry's depth and Mr. Edwards's personal touch with the voters. In the television era, likability is extremely important. But this is a serious business, and Mr. Kerry, the more experienced and knowledgeable candidate, gets our endorsement.
