If the average American is asked what comes to mind when they think about politicians, the answer will most likely involve some amount of angry cursing. I don’t believe it would be going out on a limb to say that at least a majority of Americans view politicians as generally dishonest people, being able to spin any fact into proof they are right. Politicians are commonly thought to be argumentative, dishonest and intolerant of their opponents.

To most everyone’s surprise, there are two retired politicians who continue to make the evening news — for positive reasons. Former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Senator Bob Dole have “joined forces” in several endeavors that just may return lawyers to the “least trusted occupation in America” position.

Shortly after the horrific events on Sept. 11, 2001, an organization called Scholarship America created a special scholarship fund called “Families of Freedom.” This fund raised more than $100 million for post-secondary education for the children whose parents were killed or permanently injured as a result of the terrorist attacks.

Clinton and Dole accepted co-chairmen positions of the fundraising effort. With these two men devoting their time and effort, the fund grew at an amazing rate, accepting individual and corporate donations amounting to $105 million in less than a year.

These two men have, in a way, declared themselves relevant and retired at the same time. Their political duties may have come to an end but they are willing to continue serving the country as appropriate. I think every American would applaud their efforts to help our nation provide for the victims’ families. I don’t doubt that we will see both of them in a similarly admirable position again.

These two dynamic men are no longer merely reported on, they now have their own TV spot. CBS signed the two former leaders for ten short debates on “60 minutes,” bringing back the popular “point/counterpoint” segment of the show. The segment title is “Clinton/Dole” one week and “Dole/Clinton” the next.

The actual dialogue lasts two minutes, of which 45 seconds is given for one to pose an issue to the other, which gets a 45-second reply. After the main arguments, each get a 15-second rebuttal.

The real interesting characteristic of these debates, besides the fact that it is these two gentlemen — whose wives are both members of the U.S. Senate — is the demeanor in which the dialogue is given.

“There may be a market for people who want light instead of heat,” Clinton says. “I think the country needs a debate that is not a screaming match.”

Dole echoes this sentiment. “We can be firm and provocative without being nasty.”

It is good of these two prominent figures to pay such attention to having a civil, rather than malicious, debate.

Imagine what Washington would be like if our current leaders adopted the same manner of debate and discussion. We would most likely need a different name for politics, as the current connotation carries a plethora of negative adjectives.

The problem is passion, and passion is human nature. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, passion can mean either “intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction” or “an abandoned display of emotion, especially of anger.” While they are listed separately in the dictionary, it is the mix of these two definitions that create the unnecessary turmoil in our political institutions.

What poses a challenge to politically passionate individuals is that the fervency in which they believe in an ideal often causes them to react inappropriately to any strong believer of the opposite. Both this subconscious and public pressure brings individuals to congregate at the poles of our political system. Once there, it’s hard to leave. Today we see that the most polarized issues result in the greatest conflict — issues like tax cuts and Iraq. It takes a constant effort to keep issues from becoming personal and angry, indeed a challenge for every political mind.

Today’s Washington should take a lesson from Clinton and Dole. While it is easier for political retirees to “tone it down,” per se, our representatives have a responsibility to keep their words honest and their anger on a leash.