Presidential Hopefuls Should Face Constitutional Test, Panel Says

American voters would be better served if presidential candidates were required to take a test on their knowledge of the United States Constitution and how that governing document lays out the duties, powers, and responsibilities of the highest office in the land, a distinguished panel contended tonight.

The idea that candidates should  "go into a room and fill out a blue book" (those ubiquitous small blue notebooks that college professors use to administer essay tests in their classes) was first advanced by former U.. S Senator and Democratic candidate for president Gary Hart, who said the current media reliance on soundbites doesn't provide enough information about candidates' real understanding of the Constitution.

Hart was one of 3 members of a panel on A Voter's Primer: Presidential Politics and the Constitution held tonight at The National Archives. The standing-room only event was sponsored by the Center for the Constitution at James Madison' Montpelier and the Archives.

A second panel member, Mickey Edwards, a former 16-year Republican Congressman from Oklahoma, agreed that the hypothetical testing would be beneficial for voters' enlightenment, but he expressed a major concern. "I don't think many of them (the proliferation of current candidates for president) would pass," he said, a remark that elicited large pockets of laughter from the crowd.

The third member of the panel, noted Constitutional scholar and Yale University Professor Akhil Amar, who opened his remarks by pointing out that the "we, the people" on his tie denoted his Constitutional leanings, said that voters needed real information about the candidates' ideas and should treat the election process as a job interview, with the highest prerequisite a detailed, complete, accurate understanding of the Constitution and its amendments paramount for employment.

"If you were hiring a nuclear power plant operator, you would want to make certain he knew something about nuclear power. He has his finger on the button," Amar said. "Well, the pressident has his finger on all the buttons."

One of the funniest exchanges of the lively, yet respectful, insightful, and at times downright brilliant back-and-forth came between Hart and panel moderator Diane Rehm, NPR newswoman.

"I don't think some of the candidates are smart enough to be president," Hart said.

"Do you really think that or are you just saying that," Rehm responded.

"Really, have you watched any TV lately?" Hart retorted.

Travelers' Tip:
Flexibility is a must-have trait for the successful traveler.  Today, we had planned to go back to our apartment after the NPR radio broadcast at the National Geographic, but realized we wouldn't have to get back to the Archives on time for the start of the Constitution panel. Our change of plans led us to discover Hill Country, which the Wall Street Journal heralds as "one of the 10 best places in the country for barbeque," not to mention an additional hour of walking through previously unexplored parts of DC.