European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 27, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Seventh year the toughest in Reagan presidency by Terence Hunt associated press from the lows of the Iran con Ira Alfair Toile highs of superpower Summit presiden Reagan is turning the Page on the toughest year of his presidency and preparing id countdown his final months in the White House Reagan s seventh year in Power was filled with decals and disappointments As Well As the pain of watching his wife Nancy undergo surgery Lor removal other cancerous led breast and then Grieve the death of her Mother the president had his own medical problems. In january he underwent surgery for an enlarged prostate and also dad Lour benign polyps removed from his Colon in july doctors removed a Patch of skin cancer from his nose. Outwardly. Reagan seemed unchanged irrepressible up Teal and optimistic White House chief of stall Howard Baket sad the president was essentially a Happy  buoyed by a new arms treaty with the soviet Union and his wife s recovery. However. Mrs Reagan said. It s not been a great year. It s been thelo Wesl i think you can get " with his lame Duck status and the coming presidential election Campaign Reagan s achievements in 1988 probably will be limited. In Letts of his capacity to do anything i think it s pretty much washed out said James David Barber a presidential Sendai and political scientist at Duke University he said the past year has clearly been a delusion and a debacle with revelations that the president was not a decisive Leader and was detached from key areas of policy making Wilh Congress firmly in the hands of democrats. Reagan s political clout and prestige were severely undercut by the Iran con Ira Alfair. A majority of americans thought the president was lying about the episode Jaccoi dog to polls and Congress no longer seemed afraid of him the Reagan magic seemed to have vanished unlike earlier years when he took his Case to the people in 1987 and asked them to lobby Congress. The telephones were Silcon on two map issues where he waged a veto Light a costly Highway Bill and a water cleanup measure Congress overturned him. His Call Tor an economic billow rights Wilh a constitutional amendment Tor a balanced budget fell on Deal ears and As finally abandoned. Not once but twice Reagan failed to get As nominee on the supreme court fat Robert Bof k Afler a politically charged fight and Ihen Douglas Ginsburg Afler an embarrassing revelation he had stroked marijuana. His third nominee for the seat Anthony Kennedy appears Likely to win confirmation Michael Deaver a longtime aide whom Reagan is said to regard As a son was convicted of lying to a congressional subcommittee and a Federal grand jury. Attorney general Edwin Moese another longtime associate was under investigation by two grand juries one probing the Iran Contra at Lair and another investigating the scandal plagued we Lech corp. And Lyn Notziger. Also a longtime Friend. Faces trial on charges of violating Federal ethics Laws. None of his California cronies remains at the White House and its whole stall has been revamped in the past year because of the Iran Contra affair. Though no one held him personally responsible the Slock Market went Inlo a sickening nosedive and collapsed 508 Points on his watch oct. 19. A Day that will be remembered As Black  it was a particular wow Lor a president who liked to describe his economic program As reaganomics and forced him to drop his once rigid opposition to tax increases however Reagan and his top aides remained upbeat about the Overall health of the Economy and the a photo far president i Jerigan 1987 was a year of de tend disappointments a Well a medical problems. President boasted that the business recovery from the 1981b2 recession had been the longest in Post War history 60 months. The Iran Contra affair thai dogged him Alt year came to a head nov. 18 when the House and Senate investigatory committees issued their report on the matter. Unlike the study by the Tower Board that preceded in. The congressional report said Reagan Sel a Lone of leadership that led aides to believe they could skirt the Law. The report said this atmosphere spawned a Cabal of zealots in the while House who displayed a disdain Lor the  Reagan did not offer a substantive reply to the report but Baker the president s chief of stall Sard. "1 can Tell you that he really really did not like it and really really eels personally put upon by Many of the implications and Many of the assertions in the  the one big plus of the year was the Summit a three Day extravaganza of meetings with soviet Leader Mikhail s Gorbachev that riveted world attention. The Summit produced the signing of one treaty to eliminate Clef mediate Fange nuclear missiles and held out the Hope of achieving another agreement to Cut Long Range strategic weapons by about 50 percent Reagan is supposed Lovist Moscow for another superpower Summit before june and a treaty or the outline Otone might be ready of signing then even without an arms agreement both sides Are planning or another Summit. Page 16 the stars and stripes sunday december 27,1967