Our children need a voice.
They need to be at the table.
Because soon it will be their table.
-- Gov. Charlie Crist
A lovely sentiment gracing the invitation to the United Way of Broward County Governor's Bowl on Saturday.
Except the governor himself had boorishly yanked the tablecloth, bailing on the charity for disadvantaged children to hang out with his new BFF, John McCain, at the presumptive Republican nominee's Arizona ranch.
The snub did not sit well with some of high-rollers backing the Broward event. Confronted by the media Thursday, Crist abruptly canceled his southwestern vacation/ongoing job interview for vice president.
It was a rare moment when Crist, typically as graceful as Baryshnikov, was knocked off balance during the high-wire act required by the governor of the fourth-largest state. Ignore the demands of 18 million constituents at your peril. Shirk the duties of the party's standard bearer and expect early retirement.
That balance has gotten harder since Crist's clutch endorsement helped McCain win Florida's primary, making the governor a contender in the national veepstakes. Even if he's not picked, Crist would be a fool not to relish the chance to have a pal in the White House, which, let's face it, wouldn't be so bad for Florida. Just ask Jeb Bush.
`CHALLENGE'
''It's a tremendous challenge for any governor, and ultimately it's the voters who decide whether you are focusing enough time on the needs and issues of the state versus political considerations,'' said Fort Lauderdale lobbyist Justin Sayfie, who worked for Jeb Bush.
Bush was ''acutely sensitive'' to the political balancing act, Sayfie said, for fear of being accused of exploiting his brother's national perch at the state's expense. Most notably, the former governor blew off George W. Bush's 2004 nominating convention to grapple with a hurricane's aftermath.
Crist, attorney general and a likely candidate for governor at the time, flew home from the GOP festivities to activate a price-gouging hot line and ''make sure he's available to speak to the media,'' an aide said. While Bush gave updates to the press, Crist stood by his side.
His personal GPS is still programmed that way, knowing just where to stand so the cameras capture him next to McCain. He moved his annual State of the State speech on Tuesday, traditionally delivered in the late morning, to the more television-friendly time of 6 p.m.
While Bush routinely turned down national media requests, Crist offered up hourlong interviews when he was in Washington last weekend for a national gathering of governors.
`VERY ACCESSIBLE'
''That's how this governor is -- he's very accessible to the press,'' said Crist's spokeswoman, Erin Isaac. She said she reached out to media outlets like The Hill, Politico and MSNBC to raise the profile of Everglades restoration efforts and other Florida issues, but ''right now I can't put him in front of a reporter who won't ask him about national politics.'' That may be, but most voters want Crist to stay home. In a new Mason-Dixon poll, 44 percent said he was obliged to finish his term as governor.
Crist doesn't need to get hit in the head with a United Way banquet table to see he's at risk of overexposure. Still, it will be hard for the governor to resist the temptation to be at McCain's side when he makes his debut in the state next week as the all-but-official Republican nominee.
Beth Reinhard is the political writer for The Miami Herald.
