Where Does Bush Stand?

The field of Republican presidential candidates is shrinking further with Elizabeth Dole’s withdrawal from the contest and Pat Buchanan’s expected announcement Monday that he will pursue his political future within the Reform Party. So, well in advance of next January’s voting in Iowa and the Feb. 1 primary in New Hampshire, a field that once numbered a dozen has been halved and is soon likely to be halved again, as marginal candidates Gary Bauer, Alan Keyes and Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah fade away.

Attrition is the norm in a wide-open race, though it’s significant that this year so many candidates are falling by the wayside so early. The major dropouts--including Dole, former Vice President Dan Quayle and former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander--all have blamed their withdrawals on an inability to raise enough money, with Dole noting bitterly that Texas Gov. George W. Bush and multimillionaire Steve Forbes, whose campaign is largely self-financed, “enjoy a 75 or 80 to 1 cash advantage.”

It’s an old political conundrum: To be successful takes money, and to raise money you have to demonstrate success. That helps set up early elimination contests. By the time primaries roll around, voters have already lost much of their chance to choose. The other and more positive side of the coin is that a reduced field works to focus public attention more sharply on those still in contention. That makes it harder for a front-runner, like Bush, to go on ducking appearances in which his views, proposals and ability to think on his feet can be more closely scrutinized.

Bush has been repeatedly challenged by his rivals, especially Forbes, to confront them face-to-face, and he says he will do so at least once in New Hampshire, on Dec. 2. Last week the two Democratic candidates for president, Vice President Al Gore and former Sen. Bill Bradley, agreed to a series of encounters in Iowa, New Hampshire and California.

Bush has raised his money so far from more than 135,000 contributors, largely on the perception among Republicans that he has the look of a winner next year. The perception could be right, but it doesn’t eliminate the need for Americans to get a clearer fix on what Bush and all the other candidates think and what policies they would embrace.

The way the primaries have been structured means that both major parties will likely know who their nominees are as early as March 7, well in advance of the nominating conventions. It would be gratifying to know before then where the candidates stand on the great issues of the day.