Tsongas was eager to demonstrate his recovery from lymphoma by providing photo ops in which he swam laps in his Speedo and bathing cap. Our reporter Deborah Snyder was assigned to investigate Tsongas's health and whether it might affect his ability to be president. Bill Clinton had been governor of Arkansas for 11 years. We sent reporter Felice Belman to Little Rock to examine his record. All of the Democratic candidates actively sought the Monitor's endorsement.
Some candidates resent or misread the endorsement process.
That same year, we were dissatisfied with both George Bush and Bob Dole's inability to say why they wanted to be president. Our fallback for the GOP endorsement was Jack Kemp. Despite his babble about the gold standard, we convinced ourselves that the sunny Kemp was the real heir to Ronald Reagan's legacy. But we decided to give Dole one last chance to change our minds. We invited him in and asked him in a dozen ways what he hoped to do as president.