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Dick Morris' career has certainly been derailed. Has Bill Clinton's? Kwame Holman is back on the convention floor, talking to delegates about the ever-present issue of character.
KWAME HOLMAN: Today's news about presidential adviser Dick Morris probably doesn't help President Clinton's standing with voters on the character issue. Polls show voters still have serious questions about the President's character. His negative ratings in that area remain high.
SPOKESPERSON: All pins and buttons must be off as you approach the metal detector.
KWAME HOLMAN: But certainly not among the delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Go inside Chicago's United Center this week and as you might expect, negative opinions about the President's character barely register. They don't with Kathy Estep from Enon, Ohio.
KATHY ESTEP, Ohio Delegate: I have a hard time with this thing that they're calling the character issue because I think it must have been dealt with by the American people in the last presidential election. And if his character was acceptable then, why are we bringing up this issue once again, except to dredge up, you know, problems for him?
KWAME HOLMAN: President Clinton's whistle-stop tour through the Midwest on the way to the convention was designed, in part, to display a personal side of the President's character.
PRESIDENT CLINTON: I wanted to be on that track because I wanted to look into the eyes, into the faces, and into the hearts of people who live in the heartland of America, the people I have worked for and fought for, for the last four years, and I liked what I saw.
KWAME HOLMAN: Calvin Sutker of Skokie, Illinois, says the President shows a genuine concern for people.
CALVIN SUTKER, Illinois Delegate: I think he's displayed a concern about this nation and where it's going, and I think the highest evidence of character is when you care about what the other person is, and trying to uplift the rest of society, to me, is an indication of character.
KWAME HOLMAN: During his acceptance speech last night, Vice President Al Gore spoke about a President who's not afraid to make tough decisions.
VICE PRESIDENT GORE: I've seen him get up day after day and make the toughest decisions and always by asking what is right for the American people.
KWAME HOLMAN: Wilhelmina Delco from Austin, Texas, says leadership is one area the President's opponents can't attack him on.
WILHELMINA DELCO, Texas Delegate: They can't attack him on success. They can't attack on issues. They can't attack on policy. They can't attack him on diversity. They can't attack on commitment. So they keep hammering away at what they perceive as the only vulnerable spot that is available to them.
KWAME HOLMAN: And that's the character issue. Tom Drake from Cullman, Alabama, bristles when he hears the list of alleged character flaws compiled by the President's opponents.
KWAME HOLMAN: Two women who made public allegations of sexual advances, unwanted. The--being perceived as wishy-washy on issues, being so political that he'd do anything--the Whitewater thing--when you look at all that, do those things raise character concerns in your mind at all?
TOM DRAKE, Alabama Delegate: Well, what we're seeing is that politics is nothing more than mild propaganda. You know, a man's presumed innocent in this country and is presumed innocent till there's evidence for it proving beyond a reasonable doubt with moral certainty of his guilt. There's been no indictment. Even if there was an indictment, the man is presumed innocent. He's given a right, just like any other citizen, to prove his innocence.
KWAME HOLMAN: Pat Lehman from Wichita, Kansas, staunchly defends the President.
PAT LEHMAN, Kansas Delegate: He has remained with his wife. He's remained a church goer. He's remained a father. What more do you want? I mean, no person is flawless, including me. And somewhere in that Bible I remember it saying, He is without sin cast that first stone. And I haven't seen anybody in either party or anybody in the news media that's really qualified to cast that first stone.
KWAME HOLMAN: When First Lady Hillary Clinton spoke about the President on Tuesday night, she described a warm and caring husband and father.
HILLARY CLINTON: In October, Bill and I will celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary. (applause and cheers) And Bill was with me when Chelsea was born, in the delivery room, in my hospital room, and then we brought our baby daughter home.
KWAME HOLMAN: Susan Glickman is from Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. She says she's angry about what she calls cynical and made-up attacks against the Clintons, particularly those made by Bob Dole.
SUSAN GLICKMAN, Florida Delegate: When President Clinton and his wife and their 21-year marriage went through some rough bumps, they decided to stay together and work it out. Meanwhile, Dole left his wife and that was how he solved problems. Now, which of the two shows a greater amount of character?
KWAME HOLMAN: In fact, it was Bob Dole who came under attack during the nominating roll call last night, the attack launched from his home state of Kansas.
KANSAS DELEGATE: In the “Wizard of Oz,” Kansas symbolized common sense reality. The Kansas delegation is here to tell America tonight that Bob Dole is not in Kansas anymore.
KWAME HOLMAN: Dennis Langley is an attorney from Hutchinson, Kansas, and chairman of the Kansas delegation. He says he's prepared to launch an attack of his own against Bob and Elizabeth Dole, alleging questionable financial transactions.
DENNIS LANGLEY, Kansas Delegate: Joe Biden will tell you very clearly when you run for President, I think his words was the white hot burning heat comes down on you. Bob Dole's just starting to experience the white hot burning heat, and all of these issues that he thinks he's laid to rest are coming back up to bite him as well.
KWAME HOLMAN: When this convention ends, there will be 10 weeks remaining in the presidential campaign, time enough for a full examination of each candidate's character.
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