Lee Atwater

How’re ya doing.? No, scratch that. Everybody knows, even us ethereal pols. You telegraph it every time you wander out in public these days. Message: I’m lost. Four years ago we were worse off in the polls, but we had our mission set. Remember the Texas state GOP convention (June 9,1988)? You scorched Dukakis for the first time, took our focus group stuff public: Duke was the only governor who allowed first-degree murderers–didn’t mention any names; that came later-out on weekend furloughs. Crowd went nuts. You’ll excuse me, sir, but this campaign’s going to be considerably more difficult than that one, and your recent performances have been, uh, less than compelling. Isn’t it about time you got it on?

I’m not suggesting that we fight the same war twice. In fact, I kinda wince every time our designated hitters–Charlie Black, Rich Bond, the vice president-try to make Henry Perot sound like Hitler’s sister’s dog. Too crass. People have had a bellyful of that. It smacks of politics (a word that may be this year’s equivalent of liberal). Now I know Henry is driving you nuts, blaming you for everything from the S&L scam to the high price of pork rinds, and selling it with a smile. He’s on a roll now, but he can’t escape who he is: one of those bored rich guys, the sort who used to show up at headquarters looking for cheap thrills, trying to fund covert “opposition research.” He’s E. Howard Hunt with a billion dollars. My folks, the mall dwellers, will figure this out eventually. Sooner or later they’ll realize Henry is the sort of boss who gets itchy if you don’t call him Mister and pulls your record if you wear a Guns N’ Roses T shirt to work. Thing is, we want it to be sooner. And it has to be kinder and gentler than last time.

You really want to mess with Henry’s mind? Get MacNeil/Lehrer, or someone serious like that, to invite you, him and Clinton to debate soon-next week if possible-and accept. He won’t be ready. Doesn’t know enough yet. You’ll have the tactical advantage. As Sun Tzu said, “March swiftly to places where you are not expected.” You always do a lot better in debates than people give you credit for (especially when Ailes preps you). Set the tone: be presidential, and a nice guy. Explain to Henry how things actually work; take him apart gently, gently; ask him about the deficit and his conspiracy theories. If you rattle him, he could blow himself away. Even if he does well, we’ll have a better sense of what we’re up against when the big show starts in September. And you can use the opportunity to score some on Clinton, too.

Clinton’s good, by the way. He’s got two of the qualities I always thought were most important in a politician-likability and durability. But two out of three ain’t good enough: he lacks a sense of command. Part of it is he’s 10 years too young and 20 pounds too heavy; when he answers questions, he’s still an honor student, reciting. The weight makes him seem soft, pillowy, edgeless. If we can get Henry out of the way, and it becomes a contest between you and Clinton, it’ll turn on trust, as it always does. And Clinton would have trouble working that turf even if he didn’t have all those other problems: unless the circumstances are extraordinary, you don’t turn your country over to the 45-year-old governor of your most obscure state who nobody ever heard of six months ago.

But you, sir, seem to be doing your level best to make the circumstances extraordinary. And that is the most important thing you have to think about now: forget staff changes, forget silver-bullet attack strategies. The big question is, Are you up for this? If so, what do you want to do with your second term? Whatever it is, it’s got to be real. I know the research boys will tell you that civilians like the Balanced Budget Amendment. But you know it’s a phony, and it shows when you try to sell it. This is what Perot has done: he’s made the hollow, photo-op politics of the 1980s obsolete. And he’s done you a favor. Because you always hated that phony stuff, and you diminished yourself by playing along.

So what’ll it be? If you’re running just because it’s there, don’t. You’ll be embarrassed-if not in November, then over the next four years. Resign now. The argument’s easy: the mission of your generation was to fight and win the cold war. You won it. It’s time for a new generation to meet the next test. You could do that, quit with honor (and touch off a great brawl at the GOP convention in August). But if you really are set on running, you’re going to have to be serious about a new, post-cold-war agenda. Pick a goal and follow through. I don’t care what mission you choose: the budget deficit, education, building the transportation system of the 21st century, whatever. But you have to really care about it, or people will know you’re just going through the motions. If you don’t have the interest or energy for that, don’t waste your time. Life is just too short. You can trust me on that.