GUEST COLUMNIST: Bradley, an otherwise unflawed Princetonian

Rules are made to be broken. And the rule that nothing good can come from Princeton just got challenged. That challenger is Bill Bradley. For those of you who don't know, former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley is the guy mounting a surprisingly strong and serious campaign for the Democratic nomination for president. And yes, he used to play basketball for Princeton University. Yet despite that one flaw, Bradley is the man to watch this political season. Forget about candidates who think that they have some birthright to the presidency. Forget about candidates who blindly toe their party lines. Forget about candidates who have been perfectly groomed and trained for television and who seem so slick you don't know why they're not on the cover of Entertainment Weekly. Instead, keep an eye on Bradley. Last month, I went to an organizing meeting for volunteers for the Bradley campaign, and I was quite impressed with what I saw. About 50 people were crammed into a small lounge in the grad towers. Each one of us stood and said why we came to the meeting. Some people talked about how Bradley's basketball career with Princeton and the Knicks impacted their lives. Others had become Bradley supporters during his 18 years representing New Jersey in the Senate. Still others, like me, had just recently heard about this man whose top agenda items are race relations and campaign finance reform. And, like me, they simply liked what they saw. What impresses me the most about Bradley is how in touch he is with the life experiences that have shaped him. When Bradley talks about race relations, he goes back to his days on the Knicks as a white member of predominantly black team. He also refers to his time as an intern in the U.S. Senate where he was able to watch the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Bradley is a liberal Democrat who does not seem to fit any traditional description of what that means. While a senator, he was one of the few Democrats to vote for President Ronald Reagan's budget, and he voted for some experiments in school vouchers, a traditionally Republican idea. Yet, his aunt once said that if he ran for president he probably would pick Jesse Jackson as his running mate. We'll see. This guy is definitely outside the box. Finally, Bradley's strength in policy reform is the major difference between him and Vice President Al Gore, his major opposition for the Democratic nomination in 2000. Bradley has an impressive track record as the kind of senator who works long and hard to achieve major reform in a few areas, rather than simply tweak existing policies. When Bradley does campaign finance reform it will be a major overhaul. When Bradley does healthcare coverage he will make sweeping change. At the end of a Bradley administration we will have a clear sense of what he did, why we elected him and why leadership matters in the first place. Bradley has the idealism of President Clinton in his first term but Bradley has the track record to actually get big reform done. Bradley has the small-town moral leadership of Jimmy Carter but with the worldliness and savvy of a three-term northeastern senator. Bradley is the Democratic dream-come-true, yet he's attracting many Republicans and independents to his campaign as well. So enough listening to me. Listen to Bradley. Go to his Web site at http://www.billbradley.com and read his biography, his previous speeches and his stands on various issues. See for yourself why Bradley is the man to watch this season. Even if he is from New Jersey.

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