John Silber: A Renegade Tart Tongue

Lone John Silber adds acid to Massachusetts' politics

One week after dashing headlong into the Massachusetts gubernatorial race, Boston University's president, John Silber, was asked if he'd gleaned any early lessons from his introduction to politics. Said the former philosophy professor with characteristic snap, crackle and pop: "It advises me to be less interesting, to learn to speak plastic, so that no one has the slightest idea what you're talking about."

Not to worry. Silber's quest to resuscitate the state's economy and morale, which have suffered under Governor Michael Dukakis, will not be boring. A long-shot candidate for the Democratic nomination, Silber promises to use the same radical surgery...

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