The Primary Lessons of 1988

After four months, 35 million votes and 50 debates . . .

Already, just the names prompt small chuckles of remembrance: Alexander Haig, Pat Robertson, Pete du Pont, Joseph Biden, Bruce Babbitt, Paul Simon. Has it really been just four months since Iowa anointed Richard Gephardt and Bob Dole as the favorites? Before Primary Season 1988 is carted off to the Smithsonian, it seems fitting to step back and ponder some lessons of the campaign that was. After all, as the Duchess instructed Alice in Wonderland, "Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it."

The whys have it. Those close to Mario Cuomo say a major reason he did not make...

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