Presently at Harvard, however, writing is the primary medium of political debate. At last count, there are more than twenty student publications but only one debating club. This is generally a good thing--on paper, it is considerably more difficult to hide flawed arguments amidst rhetorical flourishes.

If Harvard produces few skilled orators these days, perhaps essayists and polemicists hardened by the demands of written debate are sufficient compensation. But the cardinal virtue of written argument--its compatibility with dispassionate, well-reasoned debate--may also be its primary shortcoming. Written debate, precisely because it favors calm discussion to fiery rhetoric, does not allow charisma much of a forum. (Keyes is infinitely more convincing in person than on paper.) Consequently, debate devoid of the energy of charismatic orators like Keyes is less enjoyable for debaters and audiences alike.

The recent rarity of undergraduate oratory is largely due to lack of an organization to support it. Harvard has its Boylston Prize, its Parliamentary Speech and Debate Club and the occasional course on rhetoric, but no organization sponsors regular campus debates. To all but the most politically involved undergraduates, spoken debates are confined to dining halls and dorm rooms.

Even with the necessary support, though--say, a debating society or political union--incivility might still squelch debate. Today, most questions on which reasonable people can disagree are respectfully discussed, although casual accusations of bigotry limit debate on issues related to homosexuality or race. In the 1960s and 1970s, however, such name-calling (occasionally backed with force) silenced genuine debate on a much wider range of issues.

As a result, men and women who studied at Harvard during that time and later became politicians--Gore, for instance--are, generally speaking, unremarkable orators, and any natural charisma remains untapped. It is odd that the same institution produced both the charismatic Keyes and the stoic Gore. But such is Harvard's wonderful diversity.

Hugh P. Liebert '01 is a social studies concentrator in Eliot House. His column appears on alternate Wednesdays.