Giving Each GOP Hopeful a Y2K Plug

Didn’t we just have a presidential election a couple of days ago? Time flies when you hope to be having fun again. For political junkies, here’s a look at the Y2K that really counts. The candidates in alphabetical order.

Lamar Alexander: This former Tennessee governor was also Education secretary under President Bush and is burnishing his credentials on this key issue. His family-friendly message is solid and his dogged pursuit of Iowa caucus attendees foreshadows a sound strategy of producing an early surprise.

Gary Bauer: He has been a fierce GOP competitor since his days as a research assistant at the Republican National Committee in 1970. Bauer’s strength--passionately sounding the alarms to clean up our cultural sewage--will be tempered by a perceived lack of credentials.

Pat Buchanan: My former boss--he’s the keenest intellect of the group, the shrewdest politically and will be the bane of the front-runners in any debate. However, proposing sweeping change in America’s international role--economically and militarily--is going upstream against an 11,000 Dow. Watch him if he reprises his upset victory in New Hampshire and follows up with a South Carolina win.

George W. Bush: He’s where every other candidate wants to be but will soon be where no candidate wants to be--with a political bull’s-eye painted on his back. He has adroitly managed his status as prohibitive favorite with the money and assembled talent to prove it. With many of Clinton’s high skills and charm but without the low character, Bush is seen as an electable feast for hungry Republicans. Smooth water today; roiling rapids ahead. Watch his navigation skills.

Elizabeth Dole: As her White House colleague in 1981, I observed that no one was better prepared for our 7:30 a.m. senior staff meetings than Dole. Don’t “dis” her discipline--that’s not a bad trait for a president, and she wows as a motivating speaker. She would have been much better off starting her campaign in 1997. Right now she’s George W’s best friend--a firewall to keep the rest of the opposition dispersed.

Steve Forbes: His is the superior thinking in the GOP on economic issues--logical, coherent, persuasive and articulate. His themes of competition, less government and personal economic freedom should be de rigueur for any nominee. When big ideas are matched by big bucks, there could be big results. He needs to convince skeptical voters that magazine publishing is experience equivalent to high elective office.

John Kasich: Gotta love this smart, high-energy, gutsy Ohio congressman loaded with common sense and common touches. He’s the Happy Warrior of the bunch, mixing economic growth with populist rhetoric. But going from the House to the White House is tougher than tough. Credit him with the best zinger of the season: “George Bush is a five-star restaurant nobody’s ever eaten in.” Ouch.

Alan Keyes: This fiery conservative orator is yeast for the Republican debate and deserves to be a U.S. senator. In Keyes, Republicans have the only African American running for president, while Democrats spout lip service to their multitudes of loyal black officeholders. Go figure.

John McCain: He has what any presidential candidate must have: heavyweight status and unquestioned credentials as a serious leader. If there’s any stumbling at the top, McCain is best positioned to pick up the flag. Many Republicans will forgive the anti-tobacco and campaign finance reform crusades in favor of his tough individualism, honesty and personal courage.

Dan Quayle: His Murphy Brown redux speech of last week, this time targeting lawyers, reminded us that Quayle’s not afraid to lead. He didn’t invent the Internet, but he’s smart and highly competitive. After spending 10 weeks with him in the ’88 campaign, I’ll vouch for his steely determination matched by the sunniest disposition of the field. A former U.S. vice president deserves to be taken seriously.

Bob Smith: This New Hampshire senator is a good, strong and principled man. His plain-vanilla name belies his ideological fervor. But someone who is not even the home-state favorite in one as critical as New Hampshire is unlikely to get into the top tier. Nothing’s impossible; but this one’s improbable.

A quarter of a century ago, we laughed Jimmy Carter out of the race before it began--so skipping predictions at this stage is cowardly but prudent.

To come: looking for Al Gore’s pulse and testing Bill Bradley’s defensive skills. Considering these alternatives, for Republicans Y2K will be A-OK.

Kenneth L. Khachigian is a veteran political strategist and former White House speech writer who practices law in Orange County. His column appears here every other week.