GOP TICKET CARRIES STANDARD OF MORAL DECENCY

The Republican National Convention hardly made a dent on the TV-viewing habits of most Americans. On the heels of the nominations and platform debates and stirring speeches -- all urging Americans to embrace their moral roots -- too many of us would be hard-pressed to name the GOP nominee and his running mate.

That's the reality of today's politics.

But for those who were paying attention, there were some clear messages of great importance to this nation that came from the meeting in Philadelphia.

One theme which cannot be ignored as voters form their opinions this year -- and, unfortunately, the voting populace does not include even a majority of voting-age Americans anymore -- is that of moral fortitude.

You won't hear much about this when the Democrats gather next week in Los Angeles. That's not to say Democrats are an immoral bunch. They're not. They're ordinary Americans. Democrats make no more nor no fewer mistakes than anyone else.

But the example of the Democratic leadership in the area of moral and ethical behavior, particularly the actions of Bill Clinton and Al Gore, has been atrocious. Most Americans have been sickened by what they've seen and heard about the private and not-so-private actions of those who currently occupy the White House.

And while it often appears that Democrats are in lockstep support of Clinton and Gore in spite of their distasteful behavior, it is far more reasonable to believe that most Americans of any stripe, Democrats included, do not approve.

This is why it is so important that the nominees of the Republican Party, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, can look Americans straight in the eye when it comes to a discussion that touches on moral issues. Yes, if you dug deep enough you might question, from your own moral perspective, things that each of them has done in his life.

Here's the difference: Neither Bush nor Cheney have anything to hide. Their warts are just as public as anything Clinton and Gore have been accused of. But they haven't hidden from the truth. They haven't made a career of misleading the American public. They haven't lied to gain political advantage.

For many Americans -- independents who frequently vote for Democrats and even Democrats who want better than liars running the country -- the choice will be to favor the Bush-Cheney ticket on moral principle if nothing else.

There are other issues of importance to Americans, regardless of political leanings.

Most Americans want a strong military. They want good schools, but not federally run schools. They want a sound financial foundation for Social Security and Medicare, but not phony numbers that make this new era of budget surpluses look better than they really are. Nor do they want any of their hard-earned Social Security and Medicare dollars placed in jeopardy. But, given the option, many Americans would like the option -- if they choose it -- of investing a portion of those withheld dollars that could lead to a better retirement when the time comes.

Gore's response to everything the Republicans have proposed, of course, has been to call it a "risky scheme." In some cases, there may, indeed, be some uncertainty about the results. But it takes a bold leader to suggest action that has a better chance of making life better for Americans, even when risk is involved.

And look at the risk: For the most part, any uncertainty about the ideas George W. Bush has propounded depends almost solely on failure to receive across-the-board support from both sides of the political spectrum as well as the middle. Surely Americans want less partisan polarization and more political cooperation from its leaders.

This is something important that Bush and Cheney offer to the nation. This is good news for America.