George W. Rolls Snake Eyes

If nothing else, those who watched the Republican cattle call at Dartmouth College got to size up the pack. At least five out of six.

And it wasn't a bad show. With five candidates sharing the hour, it seemed to pass at a faster clip than the previous night's Democratic two-man exhibition between Al Gore and Bill Bradley.

The Republicans got a chance to display their rhetorical wares on abortion, campaign-finance reform and the flat tax, among other issues. No new ground was broken, but it was mildly interesting to see and hear them side-by-side-by-side-by-side-by-side.

There would have been one more by-side - but front-runner George W. Bush stiffed the event. His wife, Laura, was being honored back home in Texas and he wanted to be there. In fairness, it was a no-win situation for Bush. If he had skipped his wife's event for the town meeting, someone would have accused him of abandoning family values.

Mark Knoller

But if the debate had a loser, Bush came closest to the designation by skipping the gathering. It made him look arrogant and above the fray - although in a TV interview beforehand, he tried to do some damage control by saying he know he has a lot of work to do. "I take nothing for granted," he said.

But it's no secret that the Bush campaign made a strategic decision to delay as long as possible his participation in debates. As the leader of the pack, he's got the bull's-eye on his back and would draw fire from his challenges - putting his lead at risk.

But he's agreed to be present at the next so-called debate on Dec. 2.

In his absence, the other five candidates tried to play to their strengths on various issues. And in doing so, their personalities came through. Some, like Sen. Orrin Hatch and former Ambassador Alan Keyes, are more strident. Sen. John McCain takes a more low key approach - though he delivered repeated passionate appeals for enactment of campaign finance reform. Billionaire publisher Steve Forbes was sporting a better haircut. And conservative activist Gary Bauer tried to expand his appeal beyond the Christian right.

Most striking were their comments when each got a chance to answer the same question about the income-tax system:

HATCH: "I favor throwing out the current system . . . a flat tax . . . I'm for it."

MCCAIN: "I'm for a flat tax . . . the tax code . . . it's a nightmare."

KEYES: ". . . the constitution . . . made an income tax unconstitutional. I am an abolitionist."

BAUER: "I have a 16 percent across-the-board rate."

FORBES: "Above $41,000 . . . 17 cents on the dollar . . . no tax on pensions . . . on capital gains. And no death taxes."

They all agree the federal income-tax code is a disgrace and should be totally overhauled.

It's an issue the current administation has all but ignored, with the exception of saying it has made the Internal Revenue System more user-friendly.

Some say that's like defending muggers who say "please" and "thank you."

Hatch, McCain, Keyes, Bauer and Forbes

Forbes and Bauer disagree on whether there should be exemptions and deductions for business expenses, but it's a technicality in the grand scheme of things.

The tax issue is the reason some of those Republicans are running. If Forbes doesn't realize it would take a political miracle for him to win his party's nomination, he doesn't have the acumen to be president. The same for Bauer and Keyes.

Hatch and McCain have extensive political experience - and well-worn seats on the national political stage.

They pose the greatest challenge to Bush. What they lack is his $60 million war chest.

But they could take heart in what President Clinton said the other day - that ideas are more important than money.

And remember candidates Phil Gramm and John Connally? They had much more money than any of their challengers. And quickly disappeared into oblivion.

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