Now the debate begins

Our view: In the next 60 days, the candidates for president should explain their vision of change and its meaning for Americans and the United States' role in the world

September 7, 2008

Political conventions have become extended infomercials for presidential candidates and their running mates. The slick videos, the inspirational speeches, the compelling biographies, the feisty finger-pointing, the rousing music and the celebratory confetti were all present, first in Denver and then in St. Paul, Minn. And the party faithful loved it: The Democrats were lifted up, the Republicans energized.

But the shows are over now, and the audiences that Barack Obama and Joe Biden, John McCain and Sarah Palin have to reach - the votes they will vie for - should require more than platitudes and angry rhetoric. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have deficits to overcome as they set out across America.

Change is coming, Mr. McCain assured convention delegates last week. But neither he nor his pick for vice president has explained how their stand on the war in Iraq, plans to revive the economy and energy proposals significantly differ from the policies of the Bush administration, eight years during which oil prices have skyrocketed, home foreclosures have soared and billions have been spent defending Iraq.

Mr. McCain, the self-described maverick whose bipartisan legislative successes have cost him Republican support in the past, seemed less the independent in the weeks before the convention as he tried to win over his party. He played to the GOP's restive conservative base in choosing Governor Palin of Alaska, who was little known on the national scene but was swiftly embraced by the Christian right for her views on abortion and her decision to raise a Down syndrome child along with her four other children.

But Mr. McCain's independent spirit resurfaced at the convention, notably when he called on Republicans to reinvent their party after acknowledging that they had been seduced and corrupted by Washington.

On the campaign trail, Mr. McCain can't keep rehashing his personal story. No one disputes his service or heroism. To win the presidency, he must show how he will return America to prosperity, manage a postwar Iraq and secure the country from terrorist threats; he can't expect Americans to simply trust in his love of country. Nor can Mrs. Palin be shielded from serious questioning any longer if voters are to believe she is more than Mr. McCain's pit bull with lipstick. She should be able to explain the relevance of her role as commander of the Alaskan National Guard to overseeing U.S. foreign policy; that was her comparison, after all. Voters should know where she stands on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Russia's expanding power, two issues critical to the country.

"Change we can believe in" is the mantra of Mr. Obama and his choice for vice president, Mr. Biden. But while their approaches to ending the war in Iraq, solving the country's energy woes and improving the economy differ from their opponents, they also resemble Democratic platforms of the past. Mr. Obama says his tax policies will improve the lives of the middle class, not the rich, and he has offered support for failing schools and wider access to quality health care. He also promises a strong national defense and a responsible withdrawal from Iraq.

Voters don't want more of the same from either party. Mr. Obama insists change comes from the bottom up, but that requires him to lead by example and show how he would break the gridlock in Washington. Mr. McCain promises to shake things up, but it's his party that's been in power for the past eight years.

Mr. Biden, among the Senate's most senior foreign policy hands, may have the most difficult task ahead - forcefully challenging Mrs. Palin's preparedness to serve without offending female voters. But Governor Palin is tough - or so she says - and she should be able to take it.

This election presents voters with a critical choice about the future of the country, and they shouldn't be distracted by Mrs. Palin's future grandchild or jokes about Mr. Obama's years as a community organizer.

The convention podiums have been taken down. The confetti swept up. The funny hats put away. Now it's time to critically examine what the candidates are proposing to do on the issues that matter most to Americans.