European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 17, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns the stars and stripes tuesday february 17,1987 David Broder Helms helping democrats pick 1988 ticket Raleigh . If you ask demo cratic party leaders or activists How they feel about Outing son Jesse Helms r . Help pick their 1988 presidential candidate they would laugh in your face. But in a funny unrecognized Way. That May be what they have done. Though they arc desperate to nominate a moderate southerner Wajih a mainstream record and a National reputation and have so far found none who is ready to run the Man who fills the Bill is disqualified because he lost i last race la Jess Helms. Former gov. James b. Hunt jr., of North Carolina is so close to the demo cratic Ideal for 1983 that he would surely be one of the favourites at this Point had Helms not taken his measure in their celebrated 19s4 Senate race. Hum is not crying Over spill milk. When saw him Here the other Day he was talking enthusiastically about his work in creating the first National teacher certification Board the key step in carrying oui in historic 19b6 Carnegie report strategy for the overhaul and upgrading of America s Public school leaching. "1 could t be doing that if 1 were inthe Hunt said. If you were in the Senate i replied you d be running for president that s fight he Saidt bul i m nol looking Back. At 49, he is doing missionary work around the country for his longtime cause of education teaching some course at Hisala mater. North Carolina slate and making a pile of Money As a partner in the state s most prestigious Law firm. He is not complaining about the hand Fate dealt him but others in inc demo uralic party arc. That 1984 North Carolina election May turn out o have been far More significant for inc Long term future of american politics than Waller of monday s landslide Decca i the same Day. The simple fact is that the Only Tim democrats have been Able to win the while House in the last 35 years has been when they had a southerner on the ticket twice for president and once for vice president. And the fact is that the democrats today find themselves with out a single southerner in the race a year before the first caucuses and primaries. _ former Virginia gov. Charles s. Robb says he s nol running. Sens. Sam Nunn of Georgia and Dale bumpers of Arkansas Are Dilly dallying. And none of the three Wouldhave held a Candle to the undefeated Hunt in any Case and maybe not to the once a Cairn Man he is today. Carl Rowan the return to Tara the former governor showed his political prowess the other Day at an emerging issues forum on economic competitiveness he arranged and hosted for North Carolina stale. He was alternately Down Home humorous incisive inspirational and provocative As the situation required. And the cast of players he assembled showed something of his enduring clout. Business wizard h. Ross it rot former Cia official turned technology entrepreneur Bobby r. Inman former congressional budget office director Alice Kiv Lin former ism chief scientist Lewis Branscomb and Massachusetts gov. Michael s. Dukakis All flew in for inc Day. And the audience included virtually the entire Hierarchy of North Carolina government business and education. Dukakis who has erased the sting of his own 1978 defeat by winning the governorship again in 19s2 find 1986, was scouting his Long shot prospects for the democratic presidential he was not just flattering his Host when he described Hunt As the Man who taught a whole generation of governors by Precept and example in his eight Yean in office the vital connection betwee education technology business and jobs. This matrix lies at the heart of the suddenly fashionable competitiveness Issue Perot Inman Branscomb Rivlin and Dukakis showed up because they recon that even As a private citizen. Hunt occupies a unique position in what presi Dent Reagan has called the quest for excellence on which America s economic survival turns. The democratic party would be eager to exploit Hal same reputation had not Hunt lost to Helms in 1984. Defeat is the almost inevitable experience of politicians one shared at some stage of their careers by almost every american presi Dent from Abraham Lincoln to Jimmy car Ter bul Hunt lost the last time out and democrats Are looking for a Winner. Some however Are beginning to look again Al what happened Here m 1984. Hunt s Effort to unseal Helms Drew contributions from democrats in All so slates eager to eliminate the Senate s leading conservative spokesman. That contributor list is another unique Hunt asset. But Helms raised a record sum from right Wing mailing lists end hammered hum for most of two years with some of the toughest negative to ads Ever, s response was equally punishing bul came too late. What really did him incas the weakness of the Mondale Ferraro National ticket which Drew Only 39 percent of the votes. Hunt ran 226,000 votes ahead of Mondale but still lost by81,000 52-48 percent to Helms. So Long As the democratic party for gets the investment it made and the potential in saw in Jim Hunt Jesse Helms deserves the thanks of the Republican party and All of its 1988 presidential hopefuls. Trie democrats would never acknowledge they arc letting Helms help pick their nominee. Bul his veto is working. Washington pest Wrilen Orcus presidents agonize Over limits of military Power those who have been angered by my criticisms of Ronald Reagan May not believe it but i feel so very sorry for our president these Days. Yes the same Way thai anguished with Lyndon Johnson who would weep aver the . Casually re ports after he had approved air raids and other assaults into North Vietnam. I remember almost painfully Johnson saying to me a Man Ain t Worth a Good goddamn if he can t cry Al Chr right yes i sympathize with Reagan the same Way i pained with Jimmy Carter when Iran held american hostages and the Ayatollah Khomeini had Carter twist ing in the wind where millions of americans including Reagan could ridicule him As a the record is Clear Hal despite the Macho talk that got him elected and endeared him to so Many Ameri cans Ronald Reagan is a president every bit As Semi mental As Werp Carter and Johnson. He cares about in loss or potential loss of american lives. So he rolled some loaded Dice in an arms to loan scheme hoping that he could secure the release of american hostages. They came up craps Snake eyes. He got a couple of hostages out but As this caper blew up in his face More americans were seized. Presidential compassion Aga in became a Bummer but the agony never ends. Our president now must lie awake Al 4 . Asking himself again an again what he should do with All the aircraft carriers bombers. Marines and other forces that the Pentagon has stationed just off the shores of Lebanon he must doze into a prayer that Iran and the terrorists in let anon who Are controlled by Iran Wilt i Remote at this display of . Military might and let our people but or. Reagan lies Abed soaking in through sweat a lesson that John f. Kennedy lbs kill tart m. Ninon and the leaders of the soviet Union have Learned in Afghanistan that there Are Stark limitations to inc usages of military Force even by the greatest of nuclear Powers. Russia s nuclear weapons Are not applicable to a people s revolution in Kabul or even the wastelands of Afghanistan. The . Nuclear Arsenal cannot be used to stifle the mad dogs of terrorism in Beirut or any place else. Reagan learns and so did Johnson and Nixon regarding Vietnam that nuclear weapons May wipe out Mankind bul they cannot dispose of aggravating political social economic racial and moral Dis Putes which produce people s uprisings. Feel sorry for or. Reagan because i think he lies sleepless asking himself can i who brought on a terrible crisis Tor my administration by trying to ran som hostages now order a military strike against Leb anon that could provoke the executions of the hostage whose lives i still want to save but if i do nol strike militarily am i surrendering America to another decade of blackmail and intimidation by kidnappers hijackers Home throwers and other murderers my sorrow for our last four presidents is tempered by the Hope that we soon will get a Leader who knows the limitations of military Power and puts greater concentration on diplomatic and other efforts w make friends out of the arabs asians africans. Palestinians latinos and others who have become our deadly ene
