Bush is a charming guy, and I think that brings him a certain amount of goodwill. He can make that sell, but he has to understand the nuances of the issue and draw a clear distinction between himself and Al Gore. Al Gore is waiting to be chopped down at the knees on this issue. George W. should say to him, Mr. Gore, you keep talking about your support of affirmative action. Just take it to him on specific examples.
Voters are very intolerant of politicians who use race for exploitative reasons.
Gore had said that Evil lies coiled in the human spirit, and that we re all prone to bigotry and prejudice. He said, That s why we need affirmative action. I thought about it and said, Mr. Vice President, that is truly a frightening thought. You re basically saying that we need the government to protect us from ourselves. And I believe just the opposite-that we are basically good people.