European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns . Rosenthal the stars and stripes sunday january 31.1988 Bush rather charade did t change a thing Are Vuk Al just a Little mad we must be otherwise we would be laughing pleas Antly at the recent Bush rather entertainment rather than taking seriously the solemn interpretations of what it All Means la Means nothing except that we arcs used to thinking the caricatures of Public figures arc real portraits and watching press and politicians manipulate each other that often we cannot separate reality from illusion. One step Back please. Dan rather and lbs decide that when they get their crack at vice president Bush they arc going to hit him hard on the Iron Contra Issue and nothing else no taxes nol nuclear disarmament not abortion not aids not Gorbachev just Iran Contra. They prepare a film clearly implying he was nol telling the truth about his involvement. Lbs and rather have the professional and ethical right to decide Iran Contra is the most important Issue. You Don t have to agree. But Why not ask him a few other questions not enough air time. Everybody nods we All know that any network evening news show can t allow More than a few minutes an item and 5 or 10 is practically a ministries. Then Why take up half of Bush s time on the air with a film questioning his veracity and then ask him to prove his innocence on the spot it made for a Good show. We accept that rationale As if we were All a Bunch of to producers. We arc getting a Little too used to to values. Maybe to ought to be just a Little slower a Little less punchy a Little less colourful and dramatic even a bit Dull like parts of life including politics. The Issue is not whether rather asked Good questions he did or lost his Cool. He did. The Only thing of interest is whether the program revealed any thing important about two Public figures rather and Bush. During and after the show rather was no different than before it started. Unless of course you insist unbelieving the caricature of the Anchorman As All know ing always collected always aloof impervious to pres sure. Rather is an intelligent decent and skilled to journalist. If he looked startled at an unexpected per Sonal question that just shows that journalists even Anchorman Are not Buddhas. How about the vice president boy he really was ready for Dan and socked it to him Good. He was Well prepared and Sel his own Little ambush. We arc told that is making a big impression giving his Campaign a shot in the . It shows he is no wimp after All. But whatever made us think he is a wimp suddenly William f. Buckley or. He has to prove he is not a trembling wretch. On what precise Day did this Man who was a combat Pilot and head of the Cia become a miserable weakling the wimp caricature is pasted Over his face it is nonsense. So is the idea that on the news program Bush proved one blessed thing about himself that showed Why anybody should vote for him or what kind of president he might make. Was t that supposed to be the whole purpose of the program Bush took on Dan rather with the Benefit of a Little Advance planning from his staff. This will impress Mikhail Gorbachev would t Bush seem a lot tougher and More presidential if he had Given a straight answer that would once and for All put an end to the dispute about his involvement on Iran Contra All that happened was that one journalist and one candidate both rehearsed played games with each other. Politicians and journalists arc wont to do that so wont that we often do not Sec what we arc doing. Press politicians and Public come to think of the caricature or the game As reality. It is a kind of Delu Sion not terribly healthy. Neither is the kind of disrespect almost contempt with which so Many of us journalists and politicians and Normal people too tend to regard the Intelli gence of others. Would the person who will change his vote from Dole to Bush because of the news show please stand up 1 have not found one person who says he would. But i have read and heard lots of comment about How those others out there will be influenced by that eve Ning charade. And speaking of political charades arc we new yorkers or texans or oregonians really going to change our votes because of what several thousand Lowans think of one candidate or another come caucus Day Are you anybody Ever say to you "1 can hardly wait until the Iowa caucus to find out what 1 should do or think even one person it is Worth a Little laugh anyway. C new Yolk Tenno real significance ignored by to comment for Good evening ladies and gun Idlemen. This is Dan blather and our Fea Ture interview this evening will be with Apt. Charles Lindbergh Here in Paris after his tumultuous reception last Nighton the completion of his flight from new York the first single handed non Stop transoceanic flight in the history of aviation. But first some recorded moments in  nine minutes of various films of Lucky Lindbergh As Young Pilot in Wisconsin taking army flight training in Texas re signing from the army with the rank of i Apia in to act As an airmail Pilot in the Middle West. Commissioning the spirit of St. Louis. Investigating its engine. Talking id backers and manufacturers. Arriving in new York. Going to the hotel to take a last night s rest before departure from Roosevelt Field at which the heavily Laded plane barely makes it off the around into the wild Blue Ondr now Captain Lindbergh certain questions have Arisen about our qualifications As a Pilot and i think the Ameri can Public is entitled to a Frank Examina Tion of them before they Well before they elect of to a permanent Hall of Fame of some sort you see my Point yes. Sir. Or.  Well now i have Here a report that there were three witnesses in pcs Monics on the night of nov. 11,1925, who heard the air controller Lell you that the weather in Omaha was threatening and nevertheless you persisted in mounting your plane and taking  yup. Guess i  so then you admit. Captain Lind Bergh that you defied Safe practice and proceeded without any consideration of the consequences to Challenge the weather and the canons of sound judgment and just got into that air plane and flew off there to Omaha Well or. Blather i did t think the risk was too great. I mean i had a Bunch of mail and some of it might have been very important to people in Omaha sit tin up waiting for it and i figured i knew a Little about the weather and could maybe Deal with  hah so Captain Lindbergh you Are setting yourself up As a kind of one Man expert on the weather even though your colleagues advised against it now in t it True that exactly three weeks later in december 1925, you ran into weather in Southern Minnesota and actually had to bail out of your air plane of that yeah. That was the night of the Freak blizzard. Had to slay up until Iran out of fuel. When you run out of fuel you Don t have any alternative. You just bail out Hope you won t land on a tree or on a radio station  then you have one instance of disregarding weather advice a second instance of going up when others might have anticipated the possibility of a blizzard. And now Captain Lindbergh you have just crossed the Atlantic Ocean but you told them at a press conference that at one Point you very nearly flew your air plane Down into the Ocean because you almost fell asleep. Now have i misquoted you i want to be absolutely  no sir you Haven t misquoted me. Except for one thing. I did t Tell the pres conference yesterday that i almost fell asleep i told them that i did fall  you did fall asleep at the controls of your one engine plane crossing the at lactic Ocean for the first Lime you retelling us you fell asleep  you think it s responsible to try to Cross the Atlantic Ocean when Vou Are so tired you can t even stay awake " makes it a lot harder yup. In d have been easier if i had t been sleepy. Did t manage to gel much sleep the night before should Nave arranged that a Little belter and if you had hit the Ocean. Cap Tain Lindbergh you might very Well have landed on a ship and Hurt perfectly inno cent people is thai Correct there s a Chance of that or. Blather. Not much. My plane s Only 27 feet Long 46 feet at the wings. That does t use Upa lot of an 18 million Square Milc , you took that Chance i m afraid. Captain Lindbergh that i have to conclude thai inc american people ought to think twice about giving you a Hying License. That s three episodes in a not very Long career in which you took chances Imp riling not Only yourself but others. I am very reluctant to come to this conclusion because 1 have a great Deal of respect sex offi Cio. For inc first Man to Fly across inc Allan tic single  but or. Blather maybe All thai experience helped me , Captain  Curvers Pratt