Mr. Minow has never been allowed to forget that he is the man who proclaimed television a "vast wasteland"--but he believes in its potential. A thoughtful discussion on the way our political campaigns are run. WFB: "Do you have any philosophical or political reservations about the coincidence between forensic virtuosity and civic wisdom? Can't you envision a situation where A is clearly a better man than B, but just doesn't quite make it on television? ..." NM: "Well, many people say, Could Abraham Lincoln--he was not telegenic, he was not a good-looking man, they say he spoke kind of slowly--could Abraham Lincoln have been elected in a television age? My sense is that if a candidate is on long enough--let's say if there were three or four debates--the American people are wise enough to size him up. If it's 30 seconds--no. But I think if there's enough of a time period and a chance to see, I think the American people can judge that."