COLUMN: Holding out for a hero in the presidential race

From Todd Wise's, "Where Lovely Mermaids Flow," Fall '99 From Todd Wise's, "Where Lovely Mermaids Flow," Fall '99In eighth grade, I watched with bated breath as a young Bill Clinton delivered his inaugural address, proclaiming "change not for the sake of change, but change for the sake of America." And though I didn't know Jack Kennedy, and though Jack Kennedy was not a friend of mine, Bill Clinton turned out to be no Jack Kennedy. Today, we are faced with a challenge: to not merely elect a president, but to use the 2000 election as a springboard for the restoration of the heroic mysticism surrounding the office of the president. In America today, there is a wave of cynicism surrounding the chief executive because of more than two decades of scandal. From Nixon's Watergate to Clinton's menu of mishaps, Americans have turned a disapproving eye toward a position that was once the object of reverence. Polarizing scandal is nothing new to the American media. Nineteenth century cartoonist Thomas Nast made a living out of fighting municipal corruption. Hearst's "yellow journalism" fomented scandal, while progressive muckrakers -- ^ la Jacob Riis and Upton Sinclair -- exposed the horrid conditions of life in the early 20th century. Today's media is different because they can bring our politicians to us. Ulysses Grant survived two terms in office despite administrative scandals that by contemporary standards would have brought his presidency to its knees. In the 1870s, there was no CNN to amplify reactions to charges of illegal activity, as there was when Clinton spoke about Monica or George W. Bush danced around the issue of drug use. Obviously, the blame cannot be placed solely on the media. Our presidents have not evolved over time. Kennedy's promiscuity posthumously tarnished the once-surreal image of Camelot, but Clinton didn't get the hint from his idol. Recently, I completed George Stephanopoulos' memoir, All Too Human, in which he illustrated the many sides of Clinton that CNN could not capture. The Clinton who cursed. The Clinton who negotiated. The Clinton who inspired Stephanopoulos to remark, "If only this good president had been a better man." Ostensibly, all of the serious contenders for both parties' nominations -- with the possible exception of Bush -- appear worthy candidates, who like Clinton in '92, have the potential to return the office to respectability. Al Gore has championed the environment since his days as a senator. Bill Bradley is everybody's All-American. And John McCain was a soldier who braved years of torture as a POW during Vietnam. All of the candidates have experience. All have impressive educational backgrounds. Somewhere though, I want a candidate in the next millennium who resembles the great presidents of our past -- in word, deed and perceived greatness. When Teddy Roosevelt spoke, America listened. When FDR saved us from the Depression, America cheered. When our next president takes office, I want to feel the way I did in eighth grade as I watched a young Clinton on the big screen. And eight years later, I want the same feeling as he delivers his final State of the Union.