European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 14, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes thursday. January 14,19bb columns Mary Mcgrory what s wrong with Jim Wright for president at tiie weekly meeting of the democratic whips last thursday House speaker Jim Wright d Tsas read aloud a column in which David Broder outlined the Virtues of House majority Leader Tom Foli j. D-wnsh.,As a presid Colial candidate. Everyone thought it was a gracious gesture on the part or inc speaker. Nobody did a Prscilla Mullins paraphrase Why Don t you speak Tor yourself. Jim since Gary Hart re Chi Rcd inc race recaptured his front runner status and replaced Jesse Jackson As the democrats no. I problem the frantic coven search for an alternative has been on. There is according to one House member a lot of chatter about the speaker the question is asked what s wrong with Wright what s wrong comes instantly to mind. He is from Texas which he himself says arouses with inking Apa thy in some parts of the country translation he would remind people of his Friend Lyndon Johnson whose presidency collapsed in rancor. Wright s alien lion to the needs of the defense Industry general dynamics is in his District his solicitude for the Oil and Gas interests his sponsorship of the scandal Ridden synfuel a program his interventions on behalf of inc savings and loan Industry have raised questions about his ethics. In the latest Issue of Regardie a a washing ton based Magazine writers William m. Adler and Michael Binstein charge that in Wright s career is pattern of old fashioned venality financial a murkiness conflicts of interest oily opportunism and abuse of Wright retorts thai people could look until they Are Blind and never find anything dishonest or improper. Admirers wish he had put his financial holdings Inlo a Blind Trust sooner. Wright ii dismissed by others because of what one Democrat called Lac Greasy formality of his utter ances. The speaker is indeed Given to High flown expression. Some cite his looks his narrow face Daguer Rol pc Piir Ted Ginger hair and flying eyebrows As singularly . What s right with Wright you can hear surprisingly from most democratic members of the House. They contend thai he hns the qualities that voters say they arc looking for leadership strength daring conviction. They do not say this for the record As 70 democrats arc still committed 10 inc failing candidacy of rep. Richard Gephardt do Wright is a bred in the Bonc populist. He grew up dirt poor the son of a victim of the depression. But his father instilled in him a love of books and ideas George will that makes him a Oil above the politicians now in the Field. He started out his with a couple of Bangs hat established him As a Leader who would Lead. He dispelled the mourning Over the departure of tip o Neill whose compassion was inc Stie of his Frame. Wright s Fisl legislation was for the homeless. He spoke of inc need for Tain in relation to reducing inc deficit an idea that was regarded As mad at the time but which has picked up steam since. In showed no fear of Ronald Reagan. Bui it was his Gamble on Central America thai gives him the est inc is now enjoying from his Peers. Wright decided that it was time to resolve inc question and he look on the president the state department and some of his fellow democrats to put Hii Chip behind the Arias peace plan. The White House sealed him the Way it has treated All those Wilh the effrontery to Lake seriously i hair occasional peace bids. The presi Dent condemned the plan and forced out inc likeliest negotiator. Wright ignored it All invited the author Costa rican president Oscar Arias to speak to con Gress met Wilh Nicaragua president Daniel Onega and go Between Cardinal Abando y Bravo. When he was attacked in the press by an Anonymous Reagan administration sniper Wright stormed Down to inc White House and later Hod the satisfaction of having the Secretary of stale sue for a cease fire. Once he thinks he s doing right he just keeps mov ing says majority whip rep. Tony of Coho a Calif. Some Liberal senators who do nol know what in is to be it watched Wright s anti Contra funding stand destroyed in House Senate conferences and think thai a brokered convention would have to look Al Wright provided of course that the party has l nominated Hart by that Lime. They Pray that the Public s fascination with the Lone Ranger accompanied by wife and children will be As Short lived As the summer craze for Oliver North. The real optimists Are those who look to Hart to self destruct on the Campaign Trail just As he did before. Wright denies any interest in moving up. But he could be pushed before it s Over. Navy increasing you Nelafae to fiscal restraints san Diego a Day after Docking the aircraft Carrier Ranger seems Enve loped in a Roar of Calm such is the con Trast with the violent Ballet of operations at sea. With three quarters of inc Crew of 4.500 ashore after 5 a months away the quiet conducts to thinking about the darkening future of . Defense. The Navy will be increasingly important but increasingly vulnerable to the cold fiscal climate that is one of the few certainties about the 1990s. The tint sailors to step onto inc Dock were the 83 fathers whose children were bom White the Ranger was on station near the persian Gulf. Viewed from dockside a Carrier looms Large. And when iwo Are lined up As the Ranger and Constellation arc just now the sight is impressive. But in is less 10 when you consider How much of the nation s weight must be leveraged by Only 15 carriers. Of course carriers have limitations on their abilities to project Power. In same situations a significant portion of their aircraft Are needed to protect the Fleet. Furthermore carriers would be vulnerable in a War Wilh the soviet Union. Bui since 1945, . Forces have been involved Only in lesser threat Environ menu. An increasingly important virtue of earners is their Freedom from the sort of dependence on foreign governments that comes with overseas bases. Often the Best Way to deliver munitions from the air is from planes using ground bases. But carriers can move around look menacing and linger. Besides we do not have bases every where we might Ned them and we soon May have fewer even if the decline of inc Dullar does not cause Congress to trim of seas based forces. Because the future of the Philippines is clouded so is the future of Subic Bay. Waymac sic politics of Greece and spam pose a threat to bases. Congress panders to greek americans by being rude to tur key thereby jeopardizing other facilities. And the worse things get the worse they gel As More bases become vulnerable some Host countries raise the rent in the form of Eilor cd . Aid. Movement toward world Wilh fewer and then still fewer nuclear weapons a movement spurred by Reagan reckless rhetoric stigmatizing nuclear weapons Marci conventional forces increase irigary important. But they Are expensive and defense budgets Are becoming increasingly vulnerable. In his Memoir David Stockman wrote about using the Delict "1 made fiscal necessity the Mother of political invention to Force the politician to turn against their own Handiwork the bloated Budge of the american welfare oh7 in Reagan s eighth year the welfare stale is virtually unscathed. The Large has become Reagan s Handiwork the defense budget. The Reagan buildup is Over. In lasted five years and was Well Worth the Price. But in the subsequent two Yean defense spending was almost Flat. In the eighth year defense spending will decline. No Reagan accomplishment is More important than the enhancement of the military in terms of morale As Well As material. And the Navy his been the biggest Winner among the services. How Ever naval officers like most military officers stress that High morale is a function of feeling necessary of being used u the Ranger has been in conjunction Wilh the re digging operation. Budget constraint produce a cheese paring mentality and Nickel and dime economizing that inflicts a Dalh of a thousand cuu on. Morale. For example Navy aviators can make More Money and spend much More time at Home by flying in the Friendly skies of commercial aviation and operating out of America s airports is much More relaxing Ihnn being hurled off a Patch of steel in a pitching Ocean. Those Lien who Hay in the Navy do so because they like flying. They will be demoralized by cuts in Fly ing time. A Carrier a compressed City is a Complex organism As Are the armed services collectively. Their health ran be jeopardized in Small Subtle ways. Carriers like the Ranger exemplify the complexity and necessity of their services. The Ranger is the eighth Navy vessel to Bear Hal name. The first commissioned in 1777, was captained by John Paul Jones. On Valentine s Day 1773, it received a formal Salute from the French flotilla. That was the first official acknowledgement by another nation of the american Flag and hence the new government today 210 Yean later the eighth Ranger u port of a flt that is increasingly important to the government re Sponik Birtie but is increasingly Vulner Able because of the government s fiscal irresponsibility. p
