Character counts

A recent poll has found, rather unsurprisingly, that people focus more on the character of politicians than their policies when deciding for whom to vote:

WASHINGTON - For all the policy blueprints churned out by presidential campaigns, there is this indisputable fact: People care less about issues than they do about a candidate's character.

A new Associated Press-Ipsos poll says 55 percent of those surveyed consider honesty, integrity and other values of character the most important qualities they look for in a presidential candidate.

Just one-third look first to candidates' stances on issues; even fewer focus foremost on leadership traits, experience or intelligence.

On the whole, I think this is right and proper. After all, most of us are not up on the details of each and every policy issue. Moreover, we should be picking leaders to lead us, not follow us. And, particularly in the case of the President, we need someone whose judgment we can trust when unusual, unpredictable events occur. A package of good policy positions doesn't necessarily tell you how a person will act in a crisis.

Unfortunately, many of those who pick people on the basis of their character are lousy judges of character -- witness all those who voted for Bush because he was such an honest, straightforward guy.