Candidates pander to the people

Live from New York, it's Saturday night! With your guest host Aaaaaaybraham Lincolnnnnnn! Or, how about that Thomas Jefferson on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno?" When he started talking about how the United States should be an agrarian society, I nearly fell out of my chair laughing.\nCan you believe George Bush not appearing on Arsenio in 1992? Bush needed punishment for choosing dignity instead of MTV. Judging how well candidates can wax poetic about their first loves should definitely be the way we choose a president. \nGeorge W. Bush said he wants to restore dignity to the Oval Office, yet he's performing sketch comedy. That skill probably won't be critical during those nuclear weapon negotiations and other national crises, so it shouldn't be a factor in how we choose the next president.\nAfter Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton, we all know dignity has no place in the White House. We let anyone through the Oval Office door who has more than $100 million, a public relations team with accurate pollsters, the backing of the proper political machine and the ability to look marvelous on camera. \nYet people wonder why we can't have real candidates. Well, real leaders wouldn't need late-night host David Letterman's stamp of approval to be president. Real leaders don't wait in a room with actresses and rock stars for that 15 minutes of airtime. Real leaders don't want to join the media circus.\nSomething needs to change.\nThe president is the figurehead of America. In foreign affairs, he should have the respect of world leaders and the ability to strike a little fear in their hearts if necessary. At home, he should inspire us, encourage us and lead us to a better America. He should only come on camera when what he is to say is of utmost importance to us as a society.\nThe president needs to be our rock. In times of trouble, we need to believe he has the foresight and wisdom to handle the situation better than we do. He should not sink to our level and muddy his feet in pop culture by joining the talk show circuit. \nThe presidency was better off before we knew information such as whether the candidate wore boxers or briefs and before candidates started pandering to anyone with a camera and a national audience. Dignity should be coupled with a certain aloofness, and showing up on Oprah gives the appearance of neither.