EDITORIAL : DOLE TRIUMPHANT THE GOP NOMINEE FOR PRESIDENT PRESENTED HIMSELF WELL TO THE AMERICAN PUBLIC. NOW HE MUST BETTER DEFINE HIS AGENDA.

ROBERT JOSEPH DOLE stepped up to the podium last week, looked the American public in its collective eye, and spoke from his heartland.

It was not the best, nor the worst political speech ever given in the history of American politics. It was just one speech to define where one man and one party want to take the country into the next century.

But for Bob Dole, who has coveted the Republican nomination for president for at least 15 years, it was a triumphant, shining moment: The Gold Medal in Olympic politics. He stood tall. He spoke simply, yet eloquently. He looked presidential and dignified. He didn't flub his lines or drool in public, as some pundits predicted.

Dole also didn't mesmermize, but he did energize. He briefly took us by the hand, shared a little of himself and walked us down his Mainstreet America, the land of Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. The poor farm boy from Kansas turned former Senate leader believes in the collective good of Americans and the GOP. He opened the door to tolerance, compassion, inclusion. He planted a flag squarely in the middle of the road.

It was a well-crafted, polished speech that was staged with precision and perfection and that was bereft of details on how he's going to get there from here. Exactly the kind of speech the public has come to expect and resent.

We voters feel ebullient when a candidate who has stumbled on the campaign trail picks himself up, dusts himself off and makes it to prime time cleanly shaven and with no sweat dripping from his lip. Yet we feel betrayed when the serious and compelling issues facing this country - the economy, taxes, entitlements, illegal immigrants, education, global strategy - are left on the speech-cutting floor to make time for balloons falling, flags waving and confetti draping cheering crowds.

Yet candidates know all too well (because they've spent millions on focus groups, expert strategists, media packagers, handlers, speech writers and pollsters) that we, the voters, give them very little room to maneuver. We expect them to define our world, tell us where we're going and how we're going to get there in 10 minutes of pithy, electrifying, soaring oration.

We expect them to rise above our fears, alleviate our doubts, define what is best about us, lead us into the promised land, heal our wounds, feed our hungry, find work for the poor and do it all without spending our hard earned money.

Neither Bob Dole nor Bill Clinton can accomplish all of that in the prepackaged glitz of political conventions. We've taken politics out of the backroom, cleaned it up and made it bland enough for TV viewing audiences.

Dole did what he had to do. He captured America's attention for one shining moment. Clinton undoubtedly will do the same. Now it's our turn to capture their attention. We, the voters, must and should demand more from the candidates before Election Day in November. We've seen their vision. Now we want to see their road map.