WASHINGTON - For all the policy blueprints churned out by presidential campaigns, there is this indisputable fact: People care less about issues than they do about a candidate's character.
A new Associated Press-Ipsos poll says 55 percent of those surveyed consider honesty, integrity and other values of character the most important qualities they look for in a presidential candidate.
But: Giuliani leads in the Republican polls and comes in first among voters who say character counts, despite having several marriages and a habit of cheating on the current wife with the next wife. So what do people mean by "character" these days? Do they just care about "trust" and "integrity" as leadership qualities wihout caring about those qualities in a candidate's personal life? Did we cross that bridge with President Clinton?
Comments
>So what do people mean by
>"character" these days? Do they
>just care about "trust" and
>"integrity" as leadership
>qualities wihout caring about >those qualities in a
>candidate's personal life?
>Did we cross that bridge with
>President Clinton?
Why bother to ask the question? Democrats have universally weighed in on the subject, in the most adamant terms, and they all happily assert that we did.
Of course, the rest of America had a different opinion of Clinton's debaucheries. But hey, he may be back in the White House residence soon (if "the independents" have short enough memories) renting out the Lincoln bedroom again.