‘Who am I? Why am I here?’

ON THE TRAIL

By Chuck Todd

Political Director

updated 4:13 p.m. ET Feb. 22, 2007

Chuck Todd Political Director • E-mail

WASHINGTON - "Who am I? Why am I here?" is one of the 10 most memorable debate lines in modern presidential campaign history. The line, of course, was uttered by the late Adm. James Stockdale at the ’92 vice presidential debate, where Stockdale tried to reassure the country that Ross Perot’s (I) important first decision wasn't a bad one.

While funny at the time, the line turned out to be the beginning of the end (a second time) for the Perot campaign, because Stockdale did nothing to reassure anyone of Perot's capacity to be the leader of the free world.

The quote itself is one I always like to apply to presidential candidates: Who are they? Why are they here?

A successful presidential campaign needs two simple things — a dynamic candidate who can relate to the American people and a message that fits the times. The most successful candidates are able to blend their persona and message together in order to become the right candidate at the right time (e.g. Ronald Reagan in 1980, Jimmy Carter in 1976 and Bill Clinton in 1992). In other years, their messages or personas would have been problems; instead, they became the core strengths for their successful bids.

Two candidates this cycle seem so intent on answering the second question — why are they here — that they’ve made the first question much more difficult for the average voter to understand.

Both John Edwards (D) and Mitt Romney (R) have been going through political evolutions that seem to make perfect political sense but just haven't felt right so far, at least to those covering the campaign. Frankly, if the media filter isn't buying the change, the voters might not, either.

Edwards and Romney have a lot in common. They rose to national prominence due in part to their good looks, ability to communicate and electoral success in states where their respective parties have struggled (North Carolina and Massachusetts). Both have had relatively little electoral experience and have used their previous successes in business and law to fill in the blanks.

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The problem for both is that as they try to become perfect ideological creatures in order to win their primaries, they are damaging the personas that gave them national stardom in the first place.

Edwards' evolution has been a bit more subtle than Romney's. His shift on the war has been no different from that of many Democrats who now regret voting for the 2002 authorization. But it's on the other issues where Edwards is having authenticity problems. Compare his tax cut rhetoric and incrementalist approach to health care as a North Carolina senator to his positions on those issues now.

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