European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 16, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns James j. Kilpatrick the stars and stripes sunday. August 16, 1987 putting a muzzle on the pit bulls of the press Parks ident Reagan s wednesday night address o the Nril Fon was n \ ins finest forensic Effort but it was a Heap better than his disappointed critics make Oul. His purpose was to Pui the mess behind him and surely that purpose merits applause. It s time to get on to other things. To judge from the immediate re action professional Reagan washers were sorely let Down. They had hoped the president would do a Little groveling they hungered for breast beating and remorse. Thursday morning the better to Demon Strate its commitment to balanced commentary. Abc invited three pundits to the today program. One came from the new York times a second from the Washington Post the third from the new Republic what especially irritated the times Man was thai Reagan bad maybe we watched two different me making two different speeches. I heard a contrite president telling the country that there s nothing i can say that will make the situation i heard him say that his preoccupation with the hostages was a unless my ears deceive me i heard the president admit that his own stubbornness was to blame for a policy i hat went astray objection was heard that Reagan had not discussed the what was he supposed to do was he expected to review thousands of pages of transcript and respond to every partic ular detail the dreary Prospect is that i october the congressional panel will re lease a ponderous and portentous report and thai once More a demand will be heard that the president explain Hope he has the Good sense to say privately if not publicly a the hell with it. Nothing useful is to be gained by drag Ging this out. Six months ago following the report of the Tower commission Reagan accepted his responsibility for the iranian fiasco. He made staff changes that have won widespread approval. He instituted safeguards against recurrence of Junsup Crisco Covert operations. From the moment the Story broke in novem Ber the White House has held nothing Back. There has been no stonewalling no cover ups no invocations of executive privilege. The pit bulls of the press sought Toter Reagan to pieces with a charge that he lied about knowing of the diversion of iranian profits to the contras of Nicara Carl t. Rowan the hearings the end Man behind big desk in Oval office Man with Book. To and film rights potted Plant Man with no Book to and film rights sleeping cop honest person pit Bull stunt lawyers Ronald Reagan Ollie North North 5 lawyer John Poindexter de Meese George shult2. Elliott Abrams Arthur Liman John Nields Richard Secord Albert Hakim Florida land Salesman #1 Florida land Salesman #2 Gua the president s foes made this the one dominant Issue for months. When the evidence exonerated the president their Chagrin was palpable. Jaws sagged. Hands trembled in impotent rage i happened to be watching lbs when adm. John Poinde Jiler said flatly that he had not informed Reagan of the diversion. Pan rather looked As if he had been kicked in the ribs by a mule. Poor Dan he does suffer so. Has the president been harmed by this affair of course he has been harmed but again the harm is not so serious As the Media morticians would have us be Lieve. All the Powers of the presidency remain in his hands for the next 17 months. He is still commander in chief. He retains the Power to make appoint ments the Power to veto legislation and the Power to negotiate treaties. He continues to command a pulpit All his own. This lame Duck is not limping badly. Reagan used his air Lime wednesday evening to malts one More pitch for a constitutional amendment that would mandate an annually balanced budget. I do wish he would gel off this kick. It s embarrassing. If such an amendment Hud been added to the Constitution in 1950, Reagan would have been in a terrible fix throughout his administration. None of these proposed amendments is enforceable. And the president is quite wrong in saying that the Prospect for a constitutional convention is Only two states away from the slate resolutions on which he relics Are flawed by inconsistency and age. Wild horses and court or Ders could not intimidate his Congress into calling such a convention. The whole business is preposterous. It s Lime of a breather. In times past 1 have complained of the August recess. With so much to be done on Capitol Hill How could a month s vacation be Justi fied you will hear no complaint Thi year. This fractious City is tired tired of posturing lir cd of oratory tired of hearings tired of partisan bickering Over debt limits and budget constraints. Behave Hod enough noise for a while. Let us be thankful that Congress has gone Home the president has Takeoff for his ranch and the supreme court is marking time until its october term begins. August is beastly in Washington. The whole country will Benefit while we turn the volume Down. Sort out the arguments and bring on the lottery even though i be played a lot of poker shot craps in Las vegas and wagered a few bundles that the Washington redskins would whup the Dallas cowboys i be remained mildly opposed to a National lottery. I be had my head cluttered up with the moral argument that criminals would Lake Over poor people would be exploited children would starve As their daddies be came compulsive gamblers and of course that it is horrible to have government sanctioned gambling. Well i be sorted it All out and i say bring on a nation Al lottery estimates thai seem reliable ind kale that americans gambled about j190 billion last year on Slot machines and other Casino games Church Bingo slate lotteries horse raws prise fights football basketball and baseball games not to mention the illegal numbers games and who is going to Par which Hole on a Golf course. Why should t the Federal government take some of the gamblers Money so As to reduce a Federal deficit that cowardly politicians won t touch with a direct a in crease because organised crime would move in. Lottery opponents Saj. The ignore the fact that the lotteries operated by 22 states and the District of Columbia last year Werc with rare exceptions clean of corruption and graft. The lottery officials clearly were More Law abiding than the while House operatives of the National Security Council. Someone wagering in a lottery knew it when his win Ning number came up which is More than could be said for millions of investors in Wall Street Slock markets. If the Catholic Church can Sanction Bingo gambling and retain its moral clout i m not worried about a lottery ruining the reputation of politicians. But what about the fact rial a National lottery would be a regressive tax Huning poor people the most it can be demonstrated that almost everything huns poor people the most including the budget deficit the Trade deficit and the budget Cuil that represent futile attempts to re Duce the deficits. More than j12 billion Worth of tickets were sold in stale lotteries last year netting almost is billion for Educa Tion services for the elderly Parks highways and other projects. A lot of poof people benefited. I have said several limes in this column thai America will never again be competitive m Wurtz Trade mini it slops under educating perhaps a of its Oun peole. If funds from a National lottery were earmarked for equalizing educational opportunities and for enabling millions of youngsters to live in decent environment the Bic sings to America would be almost incalculable. I know that a National lottery would reduce the Stales incomes from gambling but the Overall Pool of income would be higher. And we ought not forget that most state shave never moved 10 equalize schooling for its poor and Rich kids. Only the Federal government is Likely to do that. I know that a lottery player is More Likely to be struck by lightning than to win a multimillion Dollar Jackpot but so what the Odds an1 equally or More absurd in some of the schemes touted on television by de Mcmahon and others. The people pay for a pc k a a re St pot at the end Ofa Rainbow because they Waul to in Vii is Why a National commission reported in 1976. Aft r him years of study that gambling was inevitable in in a a. I dont know thai a nation Uitz by is l in limply decided that it is Dpi because the social Beni fans it could bring ure much i in any social ills that might attend it
