John Kerry used this word in the debates and now I'm hearing it.....

[whistle]

...being used by public figures in senate hearings, civil rights debates, and even by neo-con pundits. The word is:

gravitas

n : formality in bearing and appearance; "he behaved with great dignity"

It's been around for quite awhile and it has even been the word of the day

Word of the Day for Tuesday March 14, 2000
gravitas \GRA-vuh-tahs; -as\, noun:
High seriousness; dignity; importance.

At first sight the tall, stooped figure with the hawk-like features and bloodless cheeks, the look of extreme gravitas, seems forbidding and austere, the abbot of an ascetic order, scion of an imperial family who has foresworn the world.
--John Lehmann, "T.S. Eliot Talks About Himself and the Drive to Create." New York Times, November 9, 1953

He reminded me of my favorite college professors, who derived strength from their deliberateness, their aura of gravitas, their detachment.
--Anthony York, "'Dollar Bill' never sold out." Salon, March 9, 2000

Both American and European officials said that Mr. Koch-Weser, a genial 55-year-old state secretary in Germany's finance ministry, lacked the gravitas and financial expertise to lead the I.M.F. at a time when it was arguably more powerful than ever before.
--Joseph Kahn, "Heavy Posturing Seen in I.M.F. Rift." New York Times, March 2, 2000

I have a current use: George W Bush has no gravitas!

[Onlooker]

1. What were you doing in 2000?

The word became popular in 2000, when pundits said that Cheney brought "gravitas" to the Republican presidential ticket. Yeah, Bush has not gravitas to say the least. He's a whiny, pouting boy.

[whistle]

2. I may have heard that about Dick Cheney, but I never bought it!