According to "The Contender," the approach wouldn't work because once the political wolf pack realized that their quarry was adamant about not commenting on personal questions, they could freely lob even more lurid accusations, secure in the knowledge that no assertion, however outrageous, would be refuted.

Depressing, isn't it? Politics is a nasty business and "The Contender" wallows in the muck. Masquerading as a high-minded ethical drama, the movie is just another trashy melodrama, with a slew of respected actors chewing scenery.

Written and directed by Rod Lurie ("Deterrence"), the story begins a few weeks after the unexpected death of the vice-president. A replacement must be appointed and Virginia Governor Jack Hathaway (William Petersen) looks like a shoo-in for the position. Already a popular figure, his stature rises quickly when, while being interviewed by a reporter during a fishing excursion, a car plummets off a bridge and the governor immediately dives into the icy water to attempt a rescue.

But President Jackson Evans (Jeff Bridges) has other ideas. Determined to stake out his place in the history books, Evans announces that a woman, Ohio Senator Laine Hanson (Joan Allen), is his choice for the job. The decision enrages a number of imposing figures, including House Judiciary Committee Chairman Sheldon Runyon (Gary Oldman) of Illinois.

Heading the confirmation hearings, Runyon pulls out all the stops in his quest to discredit Hanson. In short order, the soft-spoken nominee is confronted with allegations that, while in college, she participated in a gang-bang with a group of frat boys. Instead of doing the Clinton squirm, Hanson declares that her sexuality is nobody's business, refusing to "dignify this line of questioning with any comments." Even when presented with photographic evidence, she remains mute, firm in her conviction that a line must be drawn between public life and personal matters.

So the political maneuvering escalates, with Runyon and his minions leveling even uglier charges while the president and his staff frantically work on damage control. How will this drama play out?

With lots of speechifying and a juicy contrived ending, of course.

"The Contender" does a number of things right. The film identifies the party affiliations of its characters (a rarity in this type of fiction) and makes direct references to real politicians and events. The verbose storyline maintains a sense of tension all the way to the grand, goofy, finale. Jeff Bridges creates a believable president, coming off like a hunky Lyndon Johnson (although a running joke about his delight in being able to order any food item at any hour wears thin about the fifth time around). And Gary Oldman is enjoyable as Runyon, a nasty, paranoid, hypocritical power broker reminiscent of Representative Dan Burton, the infamous Indiana pit bull who chased cars all the way to Washington, DC. Oldman has a field day with the role, spitting out melodramatic lines like "We're both sticking to our guns, only mine are loaded" with relish.

While the production suffers from one-note supporting characters, chintzy sets and claustrophobic camera work, the film's biggest liability is Laine Hanson. The Republican-turned-Democrat Senator, who voted to impeach President Clinton, is a pro-gun control, pro-choice, anti-death penalty vegetarian atheist who publicly described the Bible as a "fairy tale." She apparently was elected on some parallel Earth, because she certainly would not have won in the Ohio of this planet. Joan Allen basically reprises her role in "The Crucible" here, playing the potential vice-president as a "Goodie" Hanson of prim self-containment. This character should face reporters and declare, "Unless this country wants to scare off any competent persons, we must stop putting politicians' private lives under a microscope. It may cost me the vice-presidency, but I'm standing up for what I believe!" Instead, she merely reiterates her refusal to discuss personal matters, offering herself as a maddeningly passive martyr.

Luckily for her, the president and his bad boys are more than willing to get down and dirty on her behalf. The moral of the story appears to be that idealism and nobility can succeed in the world of politics, as long as lies, threats and dirty tricks support those qualities. In terms of disposable entertainment, "The Contender" is marginally acceptable junk food. As an intellectual exercise, however, it left me with an upset stomach.