‘If you want to succeed in politics, you must keep your conscience well under control.” — David Lloyd George

If Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro wants to catch up with Noynoy, Manny Villar, and Erap, he needs to hit the ground running, take over the leadership of the Lakas-CMD-Kampi Party, take an inventory of usable government assets, discard all the jaded PGMA political operators who may already be suffering from “hors de combat,” assemble a new and fresh crew, get over the “kiss-of-death” syndrome, and secure a firm body-language commitment from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that she will go all out campaigning for him as if she herself was a candidate for president.

First, take a roll call of loyal Lakas-CMD members, starting with former President Fidel V. Ramos, and Kampi allies not only to slow down the desertion, and circle the wagon, so to speak, but also to start by appealing to them to take the risk and gamble with him for victory, The fact is that Secretary Teodoro is neither known inside the party nor recognizable in public generally.

With his impeccable academic credentials, pedigree, intellect, and hopefully first-class image builders, it is a myth for an intellectual to mumble his way to the level of the “masa” just to be understood, only to be accused later of being artificial and insincere since he obviously does not belong.

In fact, Mr. Teodoro should study the style of Manuel Quezon, Ferdinand Marcos, Fidel V. Ramos, and Joseph Estrada who was only “masa” in the movies.

Second, since there appears to be a touch of desperation in the administration party’s search to fill up the VP slot to anyone with popularity and name recall, since it seems that administrative experience or management knowhow or tested ability are secondary, why not, indeed, induct Batangas Governor Vilma Santos or billionaire world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao. They are both honest, successful, and capable in their different callings.

It is Sen. Manny Villar and Sec. Gilbert Teodoro who are hard put to find a popular and credible runningmate to boost their candidacies, unlike former President Joseph Estrada and up-to-this-moment Sen. Noynoy Aquino who feel confident of their threshold of vote power.

Third, unlike the veteran “cordon sanitaire” around Sen. Noynoy Aquino, Sen. Manny Villar, and former President Joseph Estrada, Sec. Gilbert Teodoro, in spite of his intellect and congressional experience, is perhaps relatively naïve in the ways of political betrayals and Machiavellian horse trading. He should go straight to the barangay leaders rather than via “trapo” politicians.

It follows that Sec. Teodoro’s litmus test is to persuade MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando and spoiler DPWH Sec. Hermogenes Ebdane to abandon their futile quests and convert them instead into avid disciples.

If truth be told, all four major candidates, namely, Sec. Gilbert Teodoro, former President Joseph Estrada, Sen. Manny Villar, and Sen. Noynoy Aquino, have more weaknesses and soft flanks than obvious strengths, from money problems to coy VP choices, strange senatorial bedfellows, and uncertain grassroot moorings.

It is Defense Sec. Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro who has the most catching up to do if he wants his name to appear in the radar screen and surveys.

Moreover, he has to find a good niche in mainstream media since the networks are already committed to frontliners.

As in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the next president “will be a man, take him for all in all, for we shall not look upon his like again.”

You be the judge. (For comments and views, please e-mail: chaff_fromthegrain@yahoo.com.ph)