European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 2, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes columns Pete Yost Meese forced to clarify Many of his comments attorney general Edwin a desc ii has seen his credibility come into question several limes in the past Iwa months As he struggles with growing Calls for his departure. During his most tumultuous two months in office Meuse has made com ments he quickly had to clarity has been contradicted by a conservative Republican senator who should be a natural ally and has been contradicted by a Man he wanted to appoint to e High Justice department position. The attorney general s problems began More than a year ago when his longtime Friend e. Robert Wallach came under criminal investigation in the Wedech scandal at the sch Cal of Wallah now under indictment As a result of the investigation. Meuse Jot involved As White House Counselor with the South Bronx n.y., defense contractor we tech corp. And later As attorney general with b 11 billion iraqi Oil pipeline project. His Wedlich involvement triggered a criminal probe hat began May 11, 19b7,and is expected to result several weeks from now in a report raising question about Mecie s ethical conduct. The protest resignations of two of Meuse s top aides two months ago caused an outburst of Calls for his Depar Ture. The two. Arnold Burns and Wil Liam Weld quit out of concern that Meuse s continued tenure was hurting the Justice department. The Calls increased last month when Mcnese fired his chief spokesman conservative Terry Eastland. Asked Why he fired ens land the at Torney general emphatically rejected the notion that he Felt his chief spokesman had inadequately defended him. This has nothing to do with a defense ofic said Csc. Bui at inc May 14 meeting where Eastland was relieved of his duties Meuse criticized Eastland s performance in defending Meuse s planned trip to Japan under the auspices of a non profit group with a profit making Arm that makes the travel arrangements Accord ing to department sources familiar with the conversation. Mcnese said he thought Eastland looked unprepared at a new conference where Eastland defended the travel arrangement according to the sources speaking on condition of anonymity Meuse also criticized As inadequate Arnold Sawislak Eastland s response in a newspaper Arti Cle to the new Jersey governor s Call for the attorney general to resign the sources said. In response to a question about whether the attorney general Felt he was still effective Eastland was quoted in the newspaper article As saying that a desc obviously believes he is fully effective in his Job and that the attorney general had indicated on several occasions he does t intend to resign. Me Csc thought Eastland should have made the assertion himself that Meese was fully effective and would t resign rather than attrib uting those conclusions to the attorney general according to the sources on March 31, two Days after the Public uproar began Over the protest resignations of Burns and Weld Meese was asked at a news Ernie Renic if he would meet that Day with conservative sen. Strom Thurmond. Meuse said he did t have a meeting later in the Day with Thurmond and thai he had already met with a number of people. Meese neglected to mention that he had just completed a meeting with thur mond minutes before. Mcnese subsequently authorized a written clarification after Thurmond issued a statement saying a meeting that Day with a Csc had focused on congressional concern Over problems at he Justice depart ment. In april when a reporter asked me Csc whether Wallah had recommended St. Louis attorney John Shepherd for a jus Tice department Job Mcnese said no. But it turned out that Wallah did recommend Shepherd to Meese for a Justice department Job in 1985, a fact which Csc acknowledged after further in quiries later the same Day. Asked Why head denied it earlier Mcnese told his spokesman he thought the reporter was referring to whether Wallach had made such a recommendation recently. On april 5, Meese announced trial he was recommending Shepherd to the White House to become Deputy attorney general the Post vacated by bums Resig nation. The same Day Shepherd who later withdrew his name from consideration said we All see the Legal troubles con fronting the attorney general and that me Csc saw the Legal problem too. Asked about Shepherd s com ments Meese said he thought they referred to Legal problems generally in the department not Hii own. Shepherd later confided to department aides what was obvious to everyone in the room that he had been referring to Meese s own Legal problems. Fat Vii Arm w Junto Oitt Rutm Lor w aim cd ill Prill. How accurate is springtime poll for foil election when Gary Hart returned to the presiden tial Campaign late last year after a seven month absence the Public opinion polls installed him As the favorite for the 1988 democratic nomination. Poll literate political observers warned against placing major credence in the initial response to Hart s return suggesting that the former Colorado senator was simply getting the Benefit of the notoriety thai surrounded his original departure from the race. About three months later having won primaries nowhere Hart was out of the game again. Now we have gov. Michael Dukakis the Odds on favorite to win the democratic nomination based on actual delegates won running More than 10 percentage Points ahead of vice president George Bush the Republican nominee apparent in trial heats of the general election. The question is Are polls in May that ask people How they will Vole in november reliable thanks to research by Sarah a Burke published in . News & world report it appears that springtime Gallup polls in presidential years have done a pretty Good Job of predicting winners. To the 11 elections Between 1948 and 1984, Gal Lup s trial heal polls conducted in May have been Correct seven limes or 64 percent of the Lime. The misses were in 1980, when Gallup had president Jimmy Carter ahead of challenger Ronald Rea Gan by 9 Points 1968, when the poll found Hubert Humphrey 6 Points ahead of Richard Nixon 1960, when the May trial heal had Nixon leading John f. Kennedy by 2 Points and the famous 1948 disaster when Gallup had Thomas Dewey a full ii Point ahead of president Harry Truman. But before anyone makes Dukakis a 2-1 favorite to win in november 19b8, it should be pointed out As the Magazine did that two of the four Gallup missed were in the three elections in which incumbent presi dents were not candidates. Thus the May Leader in 1952, Dwight Eisenhower did beat Adlai Stevenson but the Spring front runners incumbent vice presidents Nixon and Humphrey Lostin both 1960 and 196g. That obviously is a statistically insignificant Sample but Belling Folk who hang big hunches on Small Hooks might see Bush a the 2-1 underdog inasmuch 119 1983 is another no incumbent contest in which silting vice president is trying to succeed his Boss. That has t been done since Martin Van Buren was elected to succeed Andrew Jackson in 1836. The difficulty incumbent vice president have succeeding their Bosses has been noted Many Lima since Bush entered the 1988 race but it May be counted As a Liny Edge for him that he does not go into the summer As the Public opinion poll Leader As did Nixon and Humphrey in their using  of this May make grist for the Mill of political handicappers but no legitimate pollster would dare suggest that the outcome of the november election can be determine with certainty in May. In fact if the 1988 election is As close u i960 and1968. The pol taken May have trouble calling a Winner in october the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoon on ibis Page represent those of the authors and an in no Way to do considered As Namei Ilni the Lewi no the Sun ind stripes or the United states government