Keller @ Large: Make Teleprompters Illegal?

BOSTON (CBS) - I suspect most of us would agree that the quality of our political leadership in America has been lacking for some time.

Listen to Jon's commentary:

It's too timid when it should be bold, too bold when it should be cautious, and too often disconnected from what we the people are living through and thinking.

But don't worry, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is here with a proposed solution.

"You're voting for someone who is going to be the leader of our government," Santorum told a crowd in Mississippi.

"It's important for you to understand who that person is in their own words, see them, look them in the eye...hear what's (in their) heart. You're choosing a leader. A leader isn't just about what's written on a piece of paper."

So far, so good.

Who wouldn't want more candor and sincerity from our politicians?

But as he is prone to do, Santorum went off the rails when he proposed a concrete solution to the problem.

"It should be illegal to read off a teleprompter," he said, adding that people should know a candidate's words are his or hers, not the work of "pollsters and speechwriters."

Sorry, Senator, but you're off base here.

Politicians read off prompters because they're being careful not to step in something that will damage their credibility or step on their message.

They know that words matter, something Santorum at times seems not to get.

And while I don't believe in government by poll, I do want my elected officials to pay attention to public opinion.

Under Santorum's theory, President Obama was right to push through health care reform over majority public opposition.

Taking away teleprompters and discarding pollsters and speechwriters won't do anything to improve political leadership.

It'll just lead to more pols doing and saying dumb, self-righteous things.

You know - things like, we should make teleprompters illegal.

You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. and 12:25 p.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.