Vanna White, the pleasant letter-turner on the game show Wheel of Fortune, was wildly popular in the mid-1980s.

Some surmised that Vanna's appeal stemmed not from her blondness, but rather her blandness. Viewers saw either a girl next door or an irresistible, slightly dangerous hottie, depending on what they wanted to see.

So my suggestion for 2012 presidential candidate is: Bruuuuuuce!

Yes, Mr. Springsteen. The singer. Well, why not?

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Since our elections are about symbolism, good looks, personality, body language and the voter's ability to project on to a candidate the promise of their unspoken desires and redemption of their broken dreams, why not Bruce?

You know I'm right. Chris Matthews summed it up in his off-the-cuff observation after Obama's State of the Union address. Chris Matthews, for an hour, forgot Obama was black.

The threat of terrorism, millions of Americans lacking health insurance, an economy in shambles – but everything boils down to how the president makes Chris Matthews feel.

I don't mean to pick on Matthews. In truth, I find his bumbling tendency to say out loud what so many privately think endearing.

But I have to wonder why such superficial measurements are so important.

Poise, self-control, a sense of humor. the ability to express ideas clearly and concisely under pressure. That's all well and good, but it sounds more like the checklist for a beauty-pageant judge than the presidency.

I suspect that few Americans really believed Sarah Palin was the best choice to be a heartbeat away from Commander in Chief. Her fans, interviewed at a book signing, seem confused when asked which of Palin's policies attracted them.


(To be fair, you could find equally silly answers at any Obama event. I saw one video clip of an ecstatic woman who believed that now she wouldn't have to worry about paying her bills anymore.)

Modern media have changed the job. At one time the president was a critical part of the triumvirate of power checks and balances, making sure that the legislative and judicial branches did not step too far out of bounds.

But we're in a new era, never conceived by our founders. Men of the late 18th century could not have foreseen television, jet planes, lobbyists and the unholy alliance of K Street and Madison Avenue.

The president seems less like a leader and more like a knight at King Arthur's round table – comparable to the city mayor who goes out to cut ribbons and visit the injured in hospitals while the city manager does the dirty work.

The mere presence of preening royalty in their fine clothes and sturdy castles suggested a stability that reassured the populace despite the fact that such luxury was not duplicated on the back streets of England and the rest of Europe.

Perhaps it's human nature to look for easy and simple solutions to problems. Library Journal, in its review of Lewis Lapham's "The Wish for Kings," wrote:


Those lines were written in 1993.

Little-known fact: The reason thrones had such high backs was to prevent someone sneaking up from behind and slitting the king's throat.

The revolutions of history suggest that people do have a breaking point. Are we there? Not yet. But don't get too comfy.

Read the New York Times' columns Obama's Credibility Gap and March of the Peacocks. Read the comment sections too. Authors Bob Herbert and Paul Krugman would by most measures be labeled liberals, but these two columns would never be mistaken as valentines to the current administration.

Watch TARP oversight committee chair Elizabeth Warren. On the Daily Show last week she begged viewers to write their senators and representatives about regulating banks.


"We are going to write what the American economy looks like for 50 years going forward. And right now the CEOs have any real change bottled up in the Senate."

I've seen Warren on TV for over a year now, and she's never before looked so worried.

Jack Bogle, founder of the investment firm Vanguard, is worried too. "This is the most troubling economy and the worst bear market I've ever seen....Our system has failed," he said.

Bogle, it should be noted, is 81 years old.

In the State of the Union address, Obama said government has lost the trust of the American public. Obama gets it. Whether or not he's willing to raise hell about it is another matter.

When conservatives, moderates and liberals all agree that the government no longer represents the American people, incumbents of every stripe should sit up, take notice and prepare to get their walking papers.


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