A Renegade Tart Tongue

One week after dashing headlong into the Massachusetts gubernatorial race, Boston University's president, John Silber, was asked if he'd gleaned any early lessons from his introduction to politics. Said the former philosophy professor with characteristic snap, crackle and pop: "It advises me to be less interesting, to learn to speak plastic, so that no one has the slightest idea what you're talking about."

Not to worry. Silber's quest to resuscitate the state's economy and morale, which have suffered under Governor Michael Dukakis, will not be boring. A long-shot candidate for the Democratic nomination, Silber promises to use the same radical surgery on state government that he has exercised for the past 19 years to reform faculty and policies at B.U. His platform stresses tough budget choices but a big boost for education.

Armed with a healthy ego, a sharp mind and sharper tongue, the 63-year-old Texan has rarely if ever been known to be diplomatic. But he doesn't seem worried about transferring his pugnacious style from academe to politics. "I'm an outsider to political office but experienced in making change," he said in announcing his candidacy last month. Silber is convinced that an outsider is exactly what Massachusetts voters want, and a recent poll offers some support for his theory.

He will have no trouble getting voters' attention. Silber can ignite a media fire storm as easily as he can quote Shakespeare. By day nine of his campaign, he had labeled the Bay State "a welfare magnet"; referred to the city of Lowell, which has a large Asian population, as "the Cambodian capital of America"; and wondered out loud why Massachusetts has "suddenly become so popular for people who are accustomed to living in the tropical climate." In a testy press conference, Silber later denied charges of racism and accused the media of taking his comments out of context. The next day he was back again with another whopper, telling a group of teachers, "You can live with alcohol abuse and still achieve at a high level." Stay tuned.