MAKE BUDGET DEFICIT A PRIORITY

U.S. Sen. John Danforth is a public official for whom good ideas are not a rarity. We are taken with one he has promoted recently: Danforth suggested that both President Bush and his opponent in the White House race, Bill Clinton, agree to spend an hour each on national television discussing the federal budget deficit and how it should be addressed. If this newspaper were allowed a voice on this, we would certainly second the motion.

Such an event would be valuable in a number of ways:

It would give the deficit ($400 billion this year, with a total national debt of $4 trillion) the attention it deserves in this presidential campaign.

If properly designed, it would not be a debate, where finger-pointing and other rhetorical diversions could dilute an in-depth discussion of the problem. For each man, it would be an opportunity to look the nation in the eye and say, "Here's how I would fix it."

Sounds bites wouldn't suffice. Platitudes would fall flat. Any candidate who can fill an hour with empty talk on one profound subject will be found out by the voters. Any office hopeful who wants to succeed in this circumstance will have to be serious and substantial.

The networks might balk at the idea; ratings would not be up to par. But the television higher-ups could actually be surprised by the useful force of their medium. Television, which is more attuned to slash-and-burn election advertising, would actually be used for a constructive campaign end.

Sen. Danforth has given appropriate weight to the problem represented by the deficit. It is a serious issue and needs to be discussed in a serious fashion. He has provided an idea by which that can happen. We hope it does.