WHO'S DICK TODAY?

Dick Gephardt Seeks to Energize Campaign (RON FOURNIER, 8/14/03, AP)

When Dick Gephardt attacked his free trade-backing rivals for president, Deb Hansen shouted her approval. She shook her fist and applauded when the Missouri Democrat blasted President Bush's tax cuts.

When he spoke in hushed tones about his son's recovery from cancer, she dabbed tears from her eyes. "I've never seen this much emotion from Gephardt," Hansen said after Gephardt and five other Democratic presidential candidates addressed her Iowa labor group. "It's a new face for him."

Gephardt is working hard to put a new face on his campaign. The old one hasn't been working. [...]

"What I saw was a Dick Gephardt I've never seen before. He's got the biggest health care plan and delivers a speech with a lot of fire," he said. `This is not Dick Gephardt of 1988 or 1994 — button-down Dick. This is a new guy."

Gephardt said he's the same guy, but more free to be himself. No longer is he campaigning for Iowa congressional candidates or calibrating his every word to avoid offending the Democratic House caucus.

One of the theme's of Richard Ben Cramer's What It Takes is that Dick Gerphardt has no self. He was willing to "believe" and say anything that his advisors--whoever they happened to be--told him would further his ambitions. Posted by Orrin Judd at August 14, 2003 2:01 PM