The Differences That Really Matter

Here's the paradox: George Bush and Michael Dukakis are similar in ways they are loath to admit, but they diverge on points that a trivial and nasty campaign has failed to elucidate

For Americans who take their civic obligations seriously, the choice that presents itself next Tuesday is inescapable. There will be no might-have-beens or none-of-the-aboves on the ballot. The primaries, polls and prognostications are merely an endless exhibition season; this is the one moment in four years that actually counts in the standings. Bush or Dukakis? Nothing less and, alas, nothing more.

But if history is any gauge, this could turn out to be one of the most important choices of the waning years of this century, despite the parlous state of the campaign. Never before have voters 40 and younger seen...

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