European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 8, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The stars and stripes Aga 10 columns Donald m. Rothberg you could almost hear Bush sigh with Relief one question asked time and time again Tow ered Over All others in wednesday night s vice presidential Icbale Between Dan Quayle and Lloyd Bent sen could the Indiana senator allay doubts about his qualifications for the office the question showed Quayle at his most prepared looking straight into the camera his gestures under control citing his 12-year record in Congress. I have More experience and accomplishments than docs the governor of Massachusetts he said referring to democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis. As the debate progressed the qualifications question came up again and again and Quayle responded each Lime without an obvious misstep. You could almost hear George Bush sigh with Relief. Did you Sec anything that made you wince Bush Campaign chairman James a. Baker 111 was asked immediately after the debate. I did t see anything that made we wince. When you think about what might have happened we have to be pretty Happy he said. If the Winner of this debate were determinedly Advance expectations Quayle had a claim to Victory. He walked on stage with both his supporters an opponents wondering if he would stumble badly. He disappointed those who hoped he would. But it was not Clear whether Quayle eliminated the doubts. That May not be known until americans vote on nov. 8. How he came across to the millions of to viewers could be critical in determining which ticket gets the support of the Large number of undecided voters. Poll after National poll indicated that voters had questions about Quayle s qualifications. By contrast few americans questioned Belsen s ability to assume the presidency if called upon. When Quayle compared his experience to that of John r Kennedy it precipitated the sharpest clash of the 90-Minule debate. Jack Kennedy was a Friend of mine said bin tin looking at i 41-year-old opponent. Senator you re no Jack Kennedy. That was uncalled for senator retorted Quayle. The format helped. All the questions were asked by is panel of four journalists. The candidates had no Opportunity to question each other directly but the panel kept the focus on the qualification Issue. Four times Quayle was asked to cite his qualifications or say what he would do if suddenly he became president. "1 Don t mean to beat this drum until it has no More sound said Abc Anchorman Tom Brokaw As he raised the question once again. Obviously prepared for he question the Indi Ana senator looked straight into the camera and declared that age alone is not the Only  he cited his involvement in congressional debates on defense and arms control his authorship of Job training legislation and his service on the Senate Bud get committee. During his minute to respond to the same question bunt san sought to up the stakes to turn the question not to qualifications for the no. 2 Job. The debate tonight is about the presidency itself he said. Bentsen took some heat on the question of his differences with Dukakis on several major issues such As Aid to the Contra rebels in Central America gun control abortion and the death penalty. The Texas senator was asked whose Agenda he would follow if he became president. He never responded to that  bunt san gave his Stock answer saying tout we agree on so Many things on the vast majority of the  the texan also had to respond to question about his breakfast club a Short lived fund raising device under which lobbyists paid s 10,000 for the privilege of having breakfast with the chairman of the Senate finance committee. When the existence of the club was publicized Bent sen dropped in. Donald m. Folti of j i a Ami Pou Hial a Ritter Tor tin air Zamd urn Anthony Lewis Quayle sought sympathy but showed no Charity a Man 1 know a deeply committed Republican has just been seriously ill Wilh Legionnaire s disease. At one Point he was near death. As he began to recover he told his brother that he was going to vote for Michael Dukakis How could you the brother asked. He answered that he had just Learned How fragile life was How easily anyone could die and he did not want Dan Quayle to be president of the United Stales. The Chance that Quayle could become president concerns Many voters. In the latest new York times lbs news poll Only 3j percent of those surveyed thought he was qualified to take Over As president 53 percent said they would worry if that occasion arose. Even among supporters of George Bush 32 percent said they would worry. Why Quayle is an attractive politician an enor Mously successful one in his Home stale of Indiana. His youth should not be a bar nor his conservative Outlook. Other Young or conservative figures do not arouse the same concern. What worries people was evident wednesday night in the vice presidential debate. Quayle went to the end without a major Gaffe. But there was a Learned glib Ness in his performance. He asked for sympathy but showed no Charity. There is a shallowness an emptiness that people sense in Quayle. I think it relates both to his under standing of the world and to his life experience. In an interview last month Wilh David Broder of the Washington Post he gave his View of Mikhai Gorbachev s program of restructuring perestroika he said is nothing More than refined  it was a remark stunning in its simple minded Ness. Doubts about Gorbachev s ultimate intentions arc in order. But soviet citizens can speak much More freely now and even meet to talk about changes in the political Structure As they have just done in Estonia. To compare that situation with Sta Lin s Yean of repression and murder is ludicrous. Quayle has lived a life protected from hardship. He ghosted through College he graduated despite failing to meet requirements under circumstances that he refuses to disclose. He got special treatment in admission to Law school. He turned to his prominent family for help again and again. When the draft threatened him he did what any Normal person would do As he explained. You Call Home to Mother and father and say to like to gel into the National guard " his father James Quayle got him his first Job As lawyer. Then he became associate publisher of his father s newspaper. When he was asked to run for Congress his response was ill have to Check with my  while at Law school in 1972 he saw the candidate starring Robert Redford As a politician who was All surface no Content who after winning asked what do we do now Young Quayle Sal up for hours with a Friend talking about the film and his own political ambition. He seems to have missed the movie s intended irony. Quayle gives the impression of being like the Char Acter in the candidate a product manufactured for Modem american politics that is for the glib Ness of television. One docs not sense in him the character or the human sympathy that develop in personal struggle. His father and Mother were members of the John Birch society the Ultra right group founded by Rob Ert Welch. To this Day James Quayle Speaks Wilh awed respect of Welch his intellect his vision say ing that meeting him was like meeting the president of the United  Welch is the Man who wrote that president Eisenhower was a dedicated conscious agent of the communist  men arc not to be judged by their fathers. But it ii reasonable to wonder How much Dan Quayle is a creature of the mindset in which he grew up reason Able because he is so Little a self made Man. Moreover he has displayed rigid right Wing ideology for example criticizing president Reagan s arms control policy As soft on the russians. What does his line Tell us about the hold that the hard right would have on a president Bush those Are some of the reasons people worry about Quayle. They find it hard to think of him Talkin Wilh Margaret Thatcher and other Western Leader about the world Economy or negotiating with Mik Hail Gorbachev