Bring Back The Smirk

Here's my advice to George W. Bush: Go back to the breezy charm and snappy bravado that defined your debating style when you were taking on all challengers in the Republican primaries.

Even with his celebrated smirk and the cocky frat-boy mannerisms that surfaced from time to time, the governor came across then as far more appealing than he did Tuesday night in Boston.

For reasons that were not entirely Bush's fault, his eagerly-anticipated first debate with Vice President Al Gore was mainly fought on his opponent's turf. Most of the questions that moderator Jim Lehrer put to the candidates dealt with the kind of domestic issues that play to Gore’s strength.

But just because Bush was drawn into Gore's orbit on the issues, didn't mean he had to adopt the stiff, overly earnest persona that has long been the vice president's trademark.

Yet that's how he chose to play it. Throughout the 90-minute exchange, Bush revealed little of the easygoing charm that has long been recognized as his strongest political asset. Even on those rare occasions when he did try to inject a lighter touch into the proceedings, the efforts at humor lacked spark and bite.

For example, during a long argument over their respective tax and spending proposals, Bush characterized Gore as "a man who has great numbers. I'm beginning to think not only did he invent the Internet, he invented the calculator."

The put-down came across as a line that had been well-rehearsed, as though Bush had been waiting for just the right moment to deliver it. And the "take-that" salvo fell flat, as the governor himself instantly realized when the live audience failed to respond with either laughter or applause.

In a sense, Bush was the victim of the expectations he had to confront in the weeks leading up to Tuesday's encounter. Whether critics or admirers, most politicos seemed to agree that the governor had to demonstrate that he had the necessary gravitas—a sturdy blend of intelligence and knowledge—to serve as president.

So Bush tried to out-wonk Gore on a variety of issues, from prescription drugs and Social Security to tax cuts and education. Someone should have told him that was a hopeless pursuit, roughly comparable to hitting longer tee shots than Tiger Woods.

The vice president, after all, is notorious for being the Ultimate Wonk, a man who never met a statistic or piece of legislative esoterica he didn't like and commit to memory.

Bush characterized the avalanche of figures and details Gore hurled at him as "phony numbers" and "fuzzy math," an accusation he repeated in one form or another throughout the debate. It was a lame response, and much of the time when he tried to match Gore’s command of the facts, he stumbled and drifted into vagueness.

But if Bush made the mistake of trying to defeat Gore at his own game, the vice president showed signs of trying to take on the genial personality that is Bush's fort.

In many of the reaction shots to Bush's remarks, Gore could be seen smiling or even grinning. To see a smile spread across Gore's normally stone face is like observing paint that’s peeling or cracks in a cement wall—it ain’t natural.

In fact, there was a unmistakable disdain—an irritating smugness—in Gore's mirthful reaction to his opponent's statements, and that is his least appealing attribute. So the advice I would offer him is to refrain from giving the appearance that he's laughing at Bush.

With scarcely more than a month to go before Election Day, Gore continues to hold a narrow but solid lead, especially in most of the big electoral states, where the outcome is likely to be decided.

The last thing he needs at this point is to display, in tone and demeanor, the kind of arrogance that could turn the governor—who’s already the underdog—into a sympathetic figure.

By GARY PAUL GATES