EDITORIAL
In New York, what you see is not reality

Managing a national political convention is a tough act, indeed.

By definition, delegates to a convention are the faithful, the true believers.

So what do convention managers do? They know the revved-up delegates want some "red meat" rhetoric and attacks on the other side.

But the real audience for these conventions is not the throng in the convention hall. Rather, it is the millions who watch it or read about it.

For this audience, particularly those among it who remain undecided, the focus is on producing a muted, moderate image that might draw them in.

Thus the Democratic convention shied away from hot-button "liberal" issues and instead presented a flag-waving, patriotic show that portrayed the party and its war veteran nominee as tough, prepared to fight and to stand up for America.

The Republicans this week are doing their best to shy away from the hard-core conservative issues that appeal to the bedrock right: abortion, flag burning, stem cell research, "problems" with affirmative action and the rest.

Instead, they have produced a parade of appealing, moderate Republicans from John McCain (who some thought should be on the Democratic ticket) through California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

That moderate theme will undoubtedly continue tomorrow night during the president's acceptance speech, where the "compassionate conservative" who pushed a foreign policy of modesty will return once more.

And yes, there will be more discussion of Bush the "war president" who took the helm and led us in the terrible aftermath of 9/11. But then, what choice did he have?

Voters should take the message offered up this week with the same grain of salt they should have applied to the Kerry convention.

The moderate Bush that campaigned four years ago went into retreat once the Supreme Court decided he was the winner. Instead, we got an administration that was socially quite conservative and driven in foreign policy by neoconservative thinkers who are anything but modest in how they view America's role on the international stage.

That may be what you want for another four years, but it won't be what you get on the convention stage in New York this week.