European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 11, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes monday August 11, 19b6 columns William Buckley Rehnquist s critics acting in grand opera style in the same week in which the Senate Judic iary committee was grilling William Rehnquist the Senate voted by an overwhelming margin to continue to submit its activities 1o television coverage. And no wonder. Politicians one supposes ought not to be condemned for acting like politicians. On the other hand non politicians ought not 10 be condemned for reveal ing disgust when politicians in this on the scale of grand opera. Messes. Kennedy Biden and Metzon Baum needed Only Puccini for their act. To begin Wilh there is the premise that by moving from his present scat whence he has been judging the living and the dead for 15 years to the Central seat where in addition to writing opinions As chief Justice he would assign opinions to a member of the voting majority William Rehnquist would Traduce Republican institutions. The premise is preposterous. It is True thai the court is due to swing a Little in the direction of a the Public sentiment and b traditional views of inc role of lift supreme court. The iwo coincide at this moment in american history and it is at the very least anti democratic o assume that the Republic is endangered by self government and melodramatic to As sume that a More moderate court than those be have been Utcy to is menacing to our institutions. There being no absolute fixes on legislators ideological inclinations one uses those of the americans for democratic action and they Are pretty reliable. The Man Landing from Mars could with some Security look at a senator s Ada rating and predict How he would probably vote on the Economy on foreign policy and on social issues. The three senators who arc giving or Rehnquist the hard time have a combined Ada score of 260. Maximum possible is 300. These Are the Gen Kiernen who Are afraid thai or. Rehnquist is not in he mainstream of America. Now All of the spelunking into Rehnquist s past has yielded Only one Concrete problem and Hal is in two parts. Question no. I did or. Rehnquist harass minority voters in the 1950s and 1960s? and question no. 2 did he lie when he said he had done no such thing for absolutely unfathomable reasons we have not teen or. Rehnquist s champions make the Point nor has he himself made it. That up until we discovered pure democracy in 1964, we used Loibisi that people who voted should also be Able to read and wine. Under the circumstances in was not an act of a Pasimeni to hold up a piece of paper with let us say John hit the baseball written on in and to ask the aspirant voter what was written on thai piece of paper. If or. Rehnquist had said that he stood by the polls administering a literacy test in is hard to think Anthony Lewis that anyone would accuse him of genocidal prejudices. However he has said thai he did not even do that so the gang of three brought in four people from Arizona who said in fact lie had done it. The Only defense against this Flat contradiction is mistaken identity and Calm observers of the scene reasonably incline to anal answer. No one has Ever accused William Rehnquist of lying. To lie about a Point without Legal or moral sub stance would be not Only iniquitous but stupid. No one has Ever accused William Rehnquist of stupidity. Really in is a grotesque spectacle watching sen. Kennedy with his background accusing Justice Rehn quist. Wilh his background of evasion hypocrisy and contempt for unfortunate people Bui the Biller end liberals Are playing for very High Slakes. Reagan s popularity is up in the Vicinity of 75 percent. He won every state tit he Union except Fritz Mondak s Home state massive gerrymandering by democratic Legislatures around the country has Given the House of representatives a 60 percent-40 percent democratic Lead notwithstanding the 60 Percetil-40 percent Lead Given to Reagan the last time he ran for office. Even with that Lead the Republican reforms one after an other have been making their Way through Congress. Comes now an attempt to enhance the conservative position on the supreme court that is they judge a Burden they cannot accept. It is  probable thai or. Rehnquist will prevail Hal he will be named chief Justice and that he will set a new Standard for eloquence and lucidity meanwhile he is docile Humble very nearly masochistic in Whai he is prepared to Lake from his inquisitors. In is entirely possible that the bullying combined Wilh such Brazen polemical opportunism will catch the Public s attention in a Way that is unmistakable to politicians. If so he curtain will quickly come Down on the delirium being promoted by the senators and historical footnotes will record thai they Voied against William Rehnquist a diminishing and disgraced minority