WHO, WHICH, WHAT IS THE REAL AL GORE RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT?

Just about every month we see a new Al Gore. Correction: Every month we see the same Al Gore engaged in yet another pathetic effort to remold his image into something more palatable to the voters.

Ironically, with every succeeding transformation, Gore makes himself less electable, especially against George Bush. It is not so much that each of Gore's new faces is less attractive to voters. But the fact that he can't stay put longer than one month in the same layer of his own skin will ultimately be unsettling to voters. The American people prefer a president who is stable, dependable and even predictable. So far, stability is not part of Gore's resume.

Gore's problem is not that he is uncomfortable with himself but that he doesn't appear to know himself. He may know who he is apart from politics (as hard as that is to imagine), but if so, he has yet to bring that person into the public light.

Think about it. If you look at any of Gore's campaigns you will find an unmistakable pattern of merciless attacks against his opponents. Sure, almost every candidate in a contested election criticizes his opponent's positions on the issues or worse. But ambush politics has been the centerpiece of Gore's campaigns. Why is that? Well, it all goes back to the same thing. Gore is not comfortable enough with himself to rely primarily on his own positives.

Gore has also picked the wrong predecessor and the wrong time to run. Clinton fatigue is about more than just the scandals, though they would be trouble enough for Gore, who has embraced Clinton's scandals and engaged in many of his own. The public has also grown weary of poll-driven policy. If Clinton is known for anything more than his corruption, it is his tireless pandering to the electorate in his policy decisions.

Even if Gore could somehow escape the Clinton scandal taint, he would still face the formidable hurdle of convincing the voters that he stands for something, based on principle above politics. And Republicans don't even need to dredge up his past 180-degree position shifts, such as with abortion and tobacco. He has given us a number of real-time examples in this campaign cycle, including his about-face on privatizing Social Security and the issue of Elian Gonzalez.

Gore's chameleon-like evolution is made to order for George Bush. Regardless of what criticisms can be leveled against Dubya, most agree that he is quite comfortable with himself. He knows who he is, and he likes himself. Bush's authenticity, by contrast, will magnify Gore's unsteadiness.

Contrary to mainstream media accounts, Bush has been remarkably consistent throughout the primaries into the general election campaign. Yes, he changed his position on whether he would meet with gay leaders, but he did not change his policy toward gay issues, and that's what counts. He has been consistent on the issues even when it did not appear to benefit him politically. His tax plan is a good example.

The media argue that Bush completely changed to fend off the McCain challenge in North Carolina. A more accurate assessment is that he started speaking to his conservative base. But he did not change his positions on issues. So Bush may plead guilty to occasionally repackaging himself, which is simply smart politics. But repackaging is a far cry from changing the contents of the package and that is what Gore has repeatedly done.

Despite early concerns in some quarters, Bush has emerged as his own man with an arsenal of substantive policy proposals. He has surrounded himself with an impressive array of political heavyweights, which has enhanced his reputation as a competent leader.

Critics argue that Bush has been slow to announce his proposals. But it's better to be deliberate and constant than to play hit-and-miss with the issues, using confused voters as guinea pigs. Perhaps Gore would have to change less had he gotten it right the first time, or the second, or even the third.

Don't listen to the egghead political scientists whose models say this election is Gore's to lose. These sterile analyses fail to factor in the all-important intangibles such as corruption and poll fatigue, leadership, stability and affability. Poor Albert Jr.'s got his work cut out for him.

~David Limbaugh of Cape Girardeau is a columnist for Creators Syndicate.