European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 23, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns the stars and stripes Jonathan Wolman George Fargey of demos rhetorical excess what s the Best thing about a political convention not the drama certainly not this week. Not the food Check Back next month after new or leans. It s the shameless rhetorical excess and All of it this week directed at one Man. The Man with one name. George. Poor George that Toothache of a Man that hear nothing see nothing do Noth ing vice president. A Man too squeamish it has now been said too squeamish to bait his own  in a spirit of generosity the democrats sometimes give George More than one name. They give him four As i George Herbert Walker Bush of the Kennebunkport  Bush is the target of this attention by virtue of the fact that he is to be nominated next month by the republicans to stand against Michael Dukakis a demo crat about whom not one humorous thing has been said this week at his convention in Atlanta. Rhetorical excess is political mischief making with a serious design. A Conven Tion provides a four Day televised plat form where a party will Lay its record before the Public and present its hop Sand plans for the future. On the less idealistic Side the to time can also be use to instill Public doubt in the opposition. So scorn has been heaped a High As an elephant s Eye Here in Atlanta As a score of prominent democrats have taken their Best shot at the Man who it has now been said probably wears Argyle socks with his Cowboy boots. Next month the republicans get to take on Dukakis but for now Bush will have to Hope his spokeswoman was right when she said in reaction to the notion that George was born with a Silver foot in his Mouth i Don t think Nasti Ness Ever plays very  the democrats Are poking at Bush vulnerabilities not so much with Nasti Ness As with sarcasm and ridicule. It began monday night with the key note speech by the Sharp tongued Texas state treasurer Ann Richards. For eight straight years George Bush has t displayed the slightest interest in anything we care about she said. An now that he s after a Job he can t get appointed to he s like Columbus discover your  a it Mil of Slawson. And 6etdown ering America. He s found child care. He s found  on tuesday rep. Tony Coelho of California got things started followed in prime time by sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Texas agriculture commissioner Jim Hightower. I know it s not fair to criticize the vice president behind his Back Coelho said then proceeded to do just that. He s fishing in Wyoming All alone except for Jim  the Treasury Secre tary is there Coelho alleged in Case George is too squeamish to bait his own  then Coelho began the where was George routine that pokes at Bush Slack of identity in Reagan administration matters. When we sold arms to the Ayatollah he asked where was George Bush when Edwin Meese mocked the values we teach our kids where was George Bush. Fact is for eight years nobody knows where George Herbert Hoover Walker Bush has been. He s been silent. Invisible. Missing. Awol. Gone. Van  made the chant a prime time highlight. The vice president says he was there or can t recall or never heard As the administration secretly plotted to sell arms to Iran. So when the monumental mistake was made i think it s fair to ask where was George the vice president says he was t there or can t remember or did t comprehend the intelligence report on Gen. Noreiga he said. So when that re port was being prepared and discussed think it s fair to ask where was George and so on until the crowd began an swering for him and then repeated the chant without provocation where was George for anti Bush one liners you had to like the speech by Hightower a populist who likes to make fun of Rich people. After calling Bush a tooth ache of a Man he added his is a upper class world in which wealth is Given to you at birth. He is a Man who was born on third base and thinks he hit a  that before the convention was half Over. Next month will come Bush s time for revenge. Editor s note Jonathan Wolman is assistant Bureau chief for the a in Washington Greg Myre no dissent remains Only dissent in South Africa South Africa was quiet on Nelson Mandela s 70th birthday showing once again the government s ability to defuse potentially explosive events and its refusal to Bow to world opinion. Dozens of governments including that of the United states appealed for Mandela s release. Thousands of people held rallies in world capitals to Mark the birthday monday of the african National Congress Leader who has been imprisoned since 1962. In South Africa even the pro government afrikaans language newspaper beheld said it now would be better to free Mandela rather than further enhance his stature As a Martyr. But the government responded in its customarily Blunt fashion no birthday celebrations and no free Dom for Mandela until he renounces violence. Mandela s birthday passed in South Africa without a major Public Celebration or an outburst of violence. This Day turned into what the government wanted to be made of it the Leader s wife Winnie Mandela said monday. The government banned All celebrations including concerts festivals sports events and even a private Tea party. More than 30 people involved in organizing the events were detained. The Southern african Catholic Bishops conference said government authorities were making themselves look quite  but minister of information Stoffel Van Der Merwe said monday on National television no matter How much International pressure is brought upon us. We must do what is right from our own  Van Der Merwe said that As far As the govern ment is concerned Mandela s punishment has Al ready been  but he added that political and Secu Rity considerations keep the Black Leader in prison. His imprisonment serves to ensure that this Type of political unrest does not recur in the society Van Der Merwe said. Mrs. Mandela said it was unlikely her husband would be released soon. There appears to be no climate in the country for the release of Mandela she said. There does not seem to be anything in the cards for the next few  mrs. Mandela said she was disappointed with the bans placed on the events planned for her husband s birthday. But she said it was wrong to interpret the Day As evidence of the government s ability to stifle Black resistance. We wanted this to be a peaceful Day she said. It s our own Way of focusing on the crimes of apart  Mandela was jailed in 1962 for inciting unrest and fleeing from the country. While serving a five Yea term he was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1964 for sabotage and plotting the overthrow of the govern ment. The government maintains that Mandela must renounce supporting violence before he is freed. He Hassid he will do so Only if the government lifts its ban of the Anc and dismantles its policy of apartheid. An estimated 30,000 people have been detained without charge for varying periods of time since the government imposed a nationwide state of emergency in june 1986. All leading anti apartheid organizations have been banned including the Anc which is the main guerrilla group fighting the government. Since the government silenced 17 leading anti apartheid groups in february it has not tolerated even relatively minor demonstrations. Editor s note Greg Myre a correspondent based in Johannesburg has covered Southern Africa since 1987.