President in search of a character

President in search of a character
By Ellen Goodman, Boston Globe Columnist  |  October 17, 2004
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/10/17/president_in_search_of_a_character/
THERE ARE moments in Jon Stewart's hilarious send-up of civic textbooks, "America (The Book)," when the truth pops up like a jack-in-the-box. Consider "The Daily Show" comic's take on political campaigns: "Although the skills needed to woo voters are at times diametrically opposed to those necessary to govern them, the expensive and arduous process exists for a reason: to ensure that those who wish to govern are, if not the most qualified our country has to offer, the ones who want it the most."
This is more likely to elicit a groan than a laugh from witnesses to the political matchup of these "Skull vs. Bones" men. Neither is a slouch in the ambition category.
Yet those of us who watched all three debates saw more than ambition on display. When taken as a whole, these 90-minute appearances became a three-act play that put Bush at the center of an unexpected narrative.
It was the man we thought we knew who changed each time he went on stage as if he were still struggling to find the right way to play himself. It was the president, not his challenger, who seemed different in each debate.....