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Acting like a leader

Act II, Scene I of the presidential race has begun, and George W. Bush is getting dressed for his role.

With Act I (the primaries) out of the way, the GOP nominee can lose his ultra-conservative sheepskin and don a moderate, compassionate, middle-of-the-road persona.

As if he could fool us with cheap face makeup.

Even though the primaries forced Bush further to the right than he wanted, suddenly donning a moderate image cannot change the fact that he is a conservative.

He visited Bob Jones University, an openly anti-Catholic campus in South Carolina. He supports the state's right to fly the Confederate Flag that is a symbol of, among other things, slavery and discrimination against blacks.

As president, Bush would not do anything to regulate guns, but he would appoint three conservatives to the Supreme Court who will pose a threat to Roe v. Wade.

He's a conservative, and all the image-makeovers in the world can't hide that.

Part of his conservative image-building during the primaries was in response to the pressure of Arizona Senator John McCain's presence. Bush had to prove he is a hard-core conservative so that McCain would not earn the vote of states like South Carolina.

But the brunt of Bush's support lies within the Republican party. If he takes office, he will be running a Republican administration. He has to respond to the party, the core of his support, and that means he would further highly conservative policies during his administration.

Yet, he actually believes that he can fool America into thinking he's a moderate.

"The challenge for [Bush] is to prove that the post-primary candidate is the real Bush, not an artifice created by a political make-over," wrote Dan Balz in The Washington Post . "Is he truly 'a different kind of Republican,' or a candidate ... whose biggest policy priority is to enact a tax cut that critics say could wipe out future surpluses?"

If his Texas track-record is any indication, Bush does like great big tax cuts, along with a slew of other conservative policies. As president, Bush would make no efforts to help public education, let the death penalty continue to be a part of the justice system, and promote the pro-life stance on abortion.

However, Bush is certainly making an effort to look like a moderate. Just a few months ago he was shocking the country by visiting Bob Jones University. Now he is pawning himself off as a compassionate conservative.

He visited a poor neighborhood in Battle Creek, Michigan and discussed a program that would develop housing projects in such areas.

He has recently given more attention to education and health care reform than he did during the primaries.

And last week Bush spoke with a group of gay Republicans, saying the experience "made him a better person."

A lot of good that will do if he doesn't even support the basic right of gays to marry.

However, in politics, playing the right part is not as important as playing your part right. Bush is trying to strategically sway to the center for the next several months. He will pretend to really care about the poor neighborhoods in Battle Creek, Mich. He will make appearances with gay groups without doing anything to help them.

The problem is that campaigns and actual administrations have nothing to do with each other. Campaigning is all about having the right image. Running an administration is about influencing the nation with the policies that your party wants.

It is a sad reality of politics that leaders cannot simply lay down their platform, tell it like it is, and truly believe in their positions. Instead they pick and choose their positions depending upon what is politically expedient. They play characters instead of being leaders.

Bush will play his part for the general election, portraying himself as a moderate in the hopes of capturing the swing voters who can't see the wolf in sheep's clothing.

All politics is a stage, and Bush is yet another bad actor.