Election etiquette

Convincing the candidates to keep a civil tongue during the 2000 national election campaign matters to the Interfaith Alliance, the Washington, D.C.-based organization of liberal and moderate religious activists, including the National Council of Churches. (The ELCA relates to the alliance as part of the NCC.)

The group wants office-seekers to sign its civility code asking them to "talk honestly" about their beliefs and purposes and to refrain from using "deception, half-truths, falsifications or innuendo" about opponents.

A Jan. 6 news conference at St. John Lutheran Church, Des Moines, Iowa, announced five presidential hopefuls who signed: Bill Bradley, George W. Bush, Al Gore, Orrin Hatch and John McCain.