European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 22, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns the stars and stripes sunday March 22,1987 . No ground broken at Reagan news conference president Reagan broke Little new ground thursday night in his first news conference since before thanksgiving and he showed himself is ill unable to give anything approaching a Clear and Complete account or Bow the Iran Contra affair developed. The president made a routine opening statement on the budget that differed in no important aspect from what he hid As Long ago As his i960 Campaign and As recently As his stale of the Union address in january. Both in delivering his statement ant in responding 10 questions about the arms Sale controversy that has damaged his administration he seemed to Lack Hii old tire. Nervous and unsure at first Reagan rambled and stumbled. But after about a half dozen questions he seemed to hit his stride answering at some length and with considerably More composure even though he never oozed self Confidence like the Ronald Reagan of old he look the offensive Only when he twice suggested that the press radio and television were responsible for much of the political trouble he finds himself in. His decline in popularity with the american Public As reflected in the opinion polls was not surprising be said Given what they be been   at another Point after prom Ising not to Tell falsehoods to the Electo rate he added ill leave that to  the president s tone was that Ofa Man chastened but not exactly repentant of a Man who thinks he has been punished too Long fora mistake made with a pure heart what those watching on television across the country thought will of course have an important Impact As it is fed Back to the White House through letters Telephone Calls and opinion sur Veys. But the views of insiders lend to set the mood in the capital and some initial reactions were not As upbeat As the White mouse had hoped sen. John h. Glenn or. Said for exam ple that he had been hoping that there would be something new now that he s had four months to think about  the Ohio Democrat added. I think it s time we had some  on the other hand sen. Richard g. Lugar Rind. Described the president As Well prepared we said that Reagan s degree of Confidence seemed to gain momentum As the press conference Contin  i would say it was a Dull press Confer ence said sen. Alan a Simpson r wyo., who had criticized the news Media on wednesday As being too aggressive. Ii probably did t inspire  Paul Laxdall the former Nevada sen Ator and a close Friend of the president said Reagan seemed nervous at the beginning of the news conference. Laxdall said that while the president had hardly put the Iran Contra affair behind him the news conference gives him some Freedom to move on to other business until the investigating committees Start up in May Reagan left himself open to the accusation which had already been widely voiced that he still does not understand what went on in the White House As the sales of arms to Iran proceeded. He said once again that he could not recall precisely when he authorized them despite the detailed recollections of his former National Security adviser Robert c. Mcfarlane. He gave Ait opaque answer when asked about miss Alemenos at his last news con Ference and he admitted that he still did not understand How some proceeds from he arms sales were diverted to the Nic Aragi Ian rebels known As the control. Although much of the information about the affair has emerged from con Gressional investigations from Newi re ports and from the report of the presidential commission headed by former sen John g. Tower the president sought again and again to portray him Sellas the source of much of what is known. In fact he has made few disclosures since first making the nicaraguan connection Public late last  of what he said thursday night experts in the tangled record of the arms Sale said was inaccurate and other information was misleading particularly his description of the flow of pay ments for the arms. But he did say for the first time that he would not repeal his attempt to win the release of american hostages held in the Middle East through arms transfers. While Reagan did not describe the whole idea As an error his closest associates say he docs not think it was he said i would not go Down that same Road  while publicly proclaiming Confidence in Reagan s readiness to take on All Comers members of the while House staff fretted All week about How Well he would do. The problem is that he does t understand news conferences said a senior aide. He does t Sec the adversarial nature of the  Reagan s advisers concluded however thai a Chance had to be taken on this occasion because without a news Confer ence there was Little Chance of continuing the recovery they believe he began with his speech on the Tower commis Sion report and his appointment of for Mer sen. Howard h. Bakerjr. Of ten Nessee As his Newchik coff staff. Before thursday night the president last news conference look place exactly four months ago and politicians and commentators had begun to Lake hit fail ure to give another As a sign of his vulnerability the november news conference was one of the key elements in creating a Public image of a president out of touch with political reality and perhaps not really in charge at the White House. Rea Gan denied that evening for example that the United suites had been involved in any third country s shipment of arms to the Tehran government. That statement was inaccurate and the while Howe was forced to issues correction thursday night Reagan had to try to combat a new piece of conventional wis Dom that has taken hold in Washington since the appointment of Baker that he the president no longer is capable of really running things and that  senator along with Reagan s wife Nancy have taken Cor Mandof a sort of unofficial Regency. Allowed to flourish that perception could undercut the president s ability to Lead the country his strength in dealing with Congress and his ability to negotiate with the soviet Union and others. Because he is such a skilled television performer and such an accomplished Public speaker Bis successes when work ing from a script lend to be discounted As results of his actor s training and not to be accepted As evidence thai he has a firm command of Complex issues. Only a news conference his adviser therefore concluded would do the trick so the risk had to be run to new youth William f. Buckley or. Abm pact with soviet Union should be repealed the recent behaviour of sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia dismay Many of his admirers. For several years he has been acknowledged As the successor to the late Henry Jackson in matters relevant to the National defense. He is Bright and informed. His raillery against the Broad interpretation of the abm treaty is glaringly the Case in Point. He brings to mind the charming Early Century  who said of his clerical order. The jesuits score from the exaggerations of their opponents. Accuse them of killing three men and a dog. And they will triumphantly produce the  Why Why Are we spending so much Lime on the question of which is the historically sanctioned interpretation of agreement Das executed in 1972 when we signed the abm treaty with the soviet Union All our attention is being devoted to a question of purely Ristic interest. Judge Abraham sofar Legal Counselor to inc stale department wrote an opinion to the effect thai obviously the Broad interpretation was the one intended by the participants at the time the abm Ira to was signed. Now he says that he was  d historically when he wrote that opinion though he still stands by his conclusion. Nunn Rocs in and says that the opinion is irresponsible and then Levels his machine gun at the White House and tells president Reagan that if he proceeds 10 act on the basis of the Broad understand ing which would permit us to a Forward in our Star wars research Anil testing using folic technology not available at the Lime the abm treaty was signed he will bring on a constitutional crisis. Sen. Nunn s Point is As simple As thai although the president negotiated the treaty the Senate proceeded to confirm it and therefore it is a joint creation from which he says it follows that a change in the Reading of the treaty can Only be effected with the concurrence of the Senate. But one hears less and less of the Only transcend Cal by important question. It is do we desire to proceed with the space shield the president is heart and soul in favor of doing so and so Are the american people to judge from the polls. If this is our policy what Are the Legal impediments standing in our Way answer the abm treaty if very formally built. But there Are two ways 10 Deal with the abm ire in that have nothing whatever to do with the Broad or the narrow interpretation. The first s to say to the soviet Union you have violated the trealy by among other less palpable transgressions your huge radar Plant at Krasnoyarsk. By the Laws of nations dating Back to before breaking u treaty was a gleam in the Eye of Ivan the terrible thai Means that the treaty is null and void and tomorrow morning we will bum it in the fireplace of the Oval office in the while House that would be one Way to do it appealing to those who believe that there is always a Point to he made in dramatically drawing attention to the per idies of soviet behaviour. The second Way is to say the treaty Grams to Bolh signatories the right to rescind upon serving six months notice. Six months begins tomorrow at Dawn. Thai Means thai As of the ides of september nobody going on and on about the Broad construction is. The narrow construction is. The in Between construction will be talking except As one might debate which Side was truly responsible for breaking the peloponnesian detente. Why does Nunn. Of All people be labor the trivial the irrelevant there is great damage done in this because the american Public is Little by Little being made to think of the abm treaty As something the safety and durability of which is Central to the cause of peace. We hear references to the treaty made in a tone of voice appropriate perhaps to discussing the first amendment or even the first commandment. The first amendment no one wishes to repeat and the first commandment no one has the Power to repeal. The abm treat the president has the right Legal moral and empirical to repeal but every Day in every Way he is making it harder and harder far him self. Why secretaries George Schuliz of state Ond Cas Par Weinberger of defense Don t Force the Point is infinitely More interesting than Why they did t derail the iranian fiasco. The treaty should be repealed. Or if it is to be rewritten of but the new version which would presumably permit the soviet Union to go on cheating should permit us to proceed to take defensive Mea sures against its doing so