Step Counting: The First 100 Days

Washington, March 28, 2001--In the view of some analysts here, when a front-page New York Times story reported in March 1999 that Elizabeth Dole "prepares so thoroughly for appearances that she even requires aides to count the steps she must take to the podium," it should have been obvious that a Dole presidency could include just the sort of unfortunate incident that occurred in Quincy, Ill., last week. As a veteran politician put it, "When you elect someone with a step counter on her staff, you should know that what you're definitely not getting is devil-may-care."

It is easy enough to...