You Can Call Me "Reform" Al

Vice President Gore went to Minnesota over the weekend for a kiss-the-ring visit with Governor Jesse Ventura and, Gore said, to wrestle with campaign finance reform issues.

Both wore black shirts. Both wore blue jeans. Both wore cowboy boots. Ventura's were ostrich skin. Gore said his were plain leather. They should have been chameleon skin.

Saturday's look-alike, talk-alike, dress-alike photo-op, sadly, was not the most craven political moment of that day. No, that came aboard Air Force Two, in a formal interview with The New York Times that appeared in its Sunday edition. Twice he told the Times that, "I am passionate about the need for campaign finance reform." Gore promised to make campaign reform a central, high profile theme of his campaign against George W. Bush.

I have not a clue whether Gore's "passion" is true. I wouldn't argue for a second that the Gore campaign would not make this tactic a success. I will happily stipulate that it's quite possible that if elected, Gore could well get important campaign fixes passed.

What I would say is, well, yuck. Is there anything this man won't do to get a vote?

Like a market-researched, poll-primed St. Augustine, Gore told the Times he has learned from his sins.

He asks the public to believe that he is no longer the man of the Buddhist temple, the White House fundraising calls, the super soft money, the recently convicted fundraiser, Maria Hsia.

It certainly was an education long time coming. Throughout 1999 (not to mention 1997 and 1998), candidate Gore treated the three words "campaign finance reform" as a blood curdling voodoo curse. Spoken by questioning reporters, the words drained color from the Vice Presidential cheeks. And you could probably count the number of times he has actually uttered the words "Buddhist temple" in public on one hand.

Then St. John of Sedona and his flock of independent angels must have paid the Vice President a visit.

Gore's soul made its first public turn, oddly enough, as McCain's star was ascending in New Hampshire. In a debate with the self-proclaimed Democratic reformer, Bill Bradley, Gore issued a challenge to forgo all campaign ads. That slow conversion continued this weekend.

The Vice President, who over the weekend cleaned up in the Minnesota and Nevada caucuses as well as in Arizona's Internet primary, has witnessed similar political revelations and conversions by his President. A notable example: After the Gingrichian sweep of the 1994 congressional elections, President Clinton used the State of the Union Address, where he had once unveiled a national health insurance plan as his highest calling in office, to declare the "era of big government" dead.

George W. Bush may well start preaching reform sermons himself. It would be a surprise if he doesn't. But Gore, having apprenticed with the master, has made clear that he will do so faser and louder.