ice President Al Gore is freighted with the burden of Bill Clinton, who, although still popular, has come to stand for a tainted administration. Many voters in New Hampshire may feel that it is time to turn the page, but the sins of the president should not be visited upon his deputy, and this newspaper believes that it is possible to turn the page without throwing away the book.
Arguably no vice president in history has come before the electorate better prepared for the job. Al Gore has been a player in many of the foreign policy decisions that have faced this country in the last year. The Globe has criticized some of these decisions and praised others, but there is no doubt that Gore is the most competent among the Democrats to lead the country in a complicated world.
Gore understands the need for free trade, which too many of his fellow Democrats do not, and he understands the implications of new technologies on the world economy - even if he didn't invent them all. His ''new security agenda'' emphasizing foreign policy, macro-economics, the environment, and education reveals a profound understanding of the world's interconnectedness. He can achieve a proper balance between human rights and national interests in this country's foreign policy.
Gore and his rival for the nomination had remarkably similar voting records when they were in the US Senate, but one important exception stands out. Gore was in the minority of his party to vote in favor of rolling back Saddam Hussein's aggression against Kuwait. He understands when to apply American power abroad.
Gore's campaign has been stronger in pragmatism than soaring ideals, but that is because he has had to deal in the real world and knows what can be accomplished and what cannot. He has a sense of what things cost and is the better equipped to maintain the unprecedented economic good times that this country has enjoyed.
Gore led the way toward streamlining and reinventing government and bringing his party toward the political center. The present administration taught Democrats that responsible stewardship of a trillion-dollar federal government can be both progressive and stimulative, ending a period of debt accumulation that suppressed growth and incomes alike.
With vision and discipline this country can responsibly move beyond the Clinton administration to make major progress in addressing a crowded agenda topped by too much poverty and an endangered Social Security system, inconsistent health care, inadequate education, and a fragile natural environment.
Gore's insistence on a $374 billion investment in a Medicare system that might otherwise be bankrupt in 10 years shows that he understands that every dollar used to shore up the system today is a dollar that does not have to come out of existing benefits tomorrow.
This may be an era of surpluses, but they may not last forever. By setting priorities, Gore hopes for the best but prepares for worse.
Al Gore is the Globe's choice for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 1.
