Perspective: The gubernatorial ground shifts

Given the way the attack on America has profoundly affected us all, no one need question the sincerity of former Ambassador Pete Peterson's decision to withdraw from the Florida gubernatorial race. In a three-day drive from Boston, following the shutdown of airports, he and his wife reflected on his lifetime of service -- in war, in Congress and in the foreign service. He figured he could do more good in international diplomacy than in state politics, and we wish him success in whatever form his service to the country now takes.

All the same, his departure is a tough one for the state's Democrats. Former Attorney General Janet Reno continues to build momentum and attract money in her high-profile campaign, but the Democrats need a viable primary field to help them determine whether she or someone else can wage the most effective race against Republican Gov. Jeb Bush.

Of the four remaining announced candidates, only one, former Holland & Knight managing partner Bill McBride, offers a political profile that draws on strengths similar to Peterson's. McBride, 56, of Tampa, is a former combat Marine in Vietnam with a Bronze Star for valor, a former chamber of commerce president and business executive who managed the nation's fifth-largest law firm.

The case to be made against the re-election of Jeb Bush is entirely of his own making, and it has nothing to do with presidential election recounts or his brother's performance in the White House. That's why the Democrats are understandably nervous about Reno, and why Peterson's departure means the three remaining challengers, including state Rep. Lois Frankel and state Sen. Daryl Jones, need to keep their focus.

The Legislature is headed into special session soon to deal with a financial crisis that cannot be attributed entirely to the slowing economy. Bush has made tax cuts such a high priority that both public schools and universities actually received less state general revenue this year than last -- and that was before the economy turned sour.

Bush has been so determined to lead his self-described "revolution" that he has eliminated the university regents, hired private firms to replace government agencies, and turned one standardized test into a gauge for how all schools in Florida perform.

What Democrats need is a candidate who can challenge Bush on his record, and who can inspire confidence that he or she can do better. Maybe Reno, over the course of the coming year, will emerge as that candidate. But the people who had supported Peterson made a plausible case in one respect. He is a military veteran with a centrist political record, which would have broadened his appeal in a general election.

That's a profile that is certainly attractive, and Bill McBride comes closest to fitting it.

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