European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 29, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page to the stars and stripes Andrew j. Glass transition advisers May go unheeded by Bush Washington the big growth Industry in this town As Ronald Reagan prepares to leave it is advising his Succes Sor on How he should run his presidency. Advice is Seldom Welcome the Earlor Chesterfield observed in a letter to his son written in 1747. Ignoring he no Bleman s advice a Host of think tanks has been churning out recommendations tar the presidential transition team on virtually every Issue. These prescriptions or he 1990s Range from obvious pressing problems As How to Cut the deficit 10 More mundane matters As How to Cut Down on leaks. In Washington leaks have nothing to do with plumbing difficulties but rather refer to the practice of furnishing unauthorized information to journalists As you might imagine most transition re ports arc promptly leaked to the press. Naturally some of their authors arc seeking places in inc new administration. There s no evidence to suggest hat George Bush a normally gracious per son resents this plethora of unbidden advice. On the other hand there s plenty of evidence that inc president elect plans to Call his own plays even if hey do no happen to Square with the views of his Counselor. Actually Bush does t require Al thai much fresh advice he is already plugged into More insider circuits than most inbound chief executives what he needs and Wantt is raw intelligence the kind of stuff that the Cia which he once headed can provide. After that he appears quite prepared to process the data himself. In times past Bush has been known to reach out beyond official government sources to broaden his understanding of Complex issues. For example he once called me after 1 returned from a report ing trip to Poland and invited me to share toy impressions of that troubled land with him. Such dealings tire inherently ticklish because they lend to obfuscate already fuzzy boundaries Between while House James j. Kilpatrick policymakers and would be opinion molders in the press. Still the invitation was quickly accepted on the plausible theory that readers had previously gleaned from my published accounts whatever data that i could usefully pass along to the vice president. The press and inc presidency Are now intertwined in ways that could not have been imagined when Small knots of re porters would stand outside an Unic need White House and interrogate pc Sidon Lial visitors. Nowadays Bush advisers decide what the dominant transition theme will be for any Given week. It s a fair bet that the theme for the week hat Mikhail s. Gorbachev the soviet Leader visits new York will be the new Bush foreign polic Agenda. It would t do to ask penetrating questions in that time Frame about say farm prices because Bush s Media handlers avoid As they put it stepping honour own Story the press is not altogether an in Nocent actor in these events. The other Day for example former presidents Carter and Ford visited bus to give him a detailed report on How he should Cope with the most pressing prob lems facing the nation. Press accounts no cd that the Carter Ford report was written Wilh the help of 408 expert but few mentioned that icy included a generous Dol lop of prominent journalists. And fewer still said that the Tab for the project had been picked up by the times Mirror co a Media conglomerate whose properties include the los Angeles times. Perhaps the Best advice to the in coming Crew embodied in that particular report came from Donald a Rumsfeld a former Ford defense Secretary and a. Higher a Ikey climbs the More you see of his be con naw service americans should t forget to count blessings. ,.-.-. -. W-.-.-. & scrabble a. What arc the warmest couple of words in the English language ocl me nominate coming Home v a few weeks ago our no. 2 son a senior chief pct officer in the . Navy came Home from the persian Gulf. A few Days ago this correspondent came Home from the presidential Road a Road thai began wit the new Hampshire primary in february and wound up with some postelection speeches in Florida driving the last Lap from Washington to the farm Wilh thanksgiving just ahead i fell to thinking Aboul the giving of thanks. During the six months deployment of the guided missile frigate Nicholas we prayed for the safety of our son. At dinner we read that Beautiful invocation from the old Book of common prayer. Of eternal lord god who alone spread Cal Outhie heavens and re list the raging of the sea vouch Safe to take into thy almighty and most gracious Protection our country s Navy and All who serve therein. Preserve them from the dangers of the sea and from the violence of the enemy that they maybe a safeguard unto the United states of America and a Security for As pass on inc seas upon their lawful occasions thus Chris came Home to Charleston s.c., an once again we experienced the Lump in the Throat thai goes with a naval Homecoming answered prayers and wordless embraces. No. 2 son has served 22 Yearsin the Navy almost half of them at sea. Now he s Home. And we give quiet thanks my own travels Are mostly a blur of speeches flags balloons bad Coffee littered press rooms. The Cam As children let out of school. Pain rail is an exhausting Trail this year marked my10th election As a newsman my Ibsh National Conven Tion. Nothing of Novelty remains. The old Wells of exhilaration have run dry. And yet. And yet there is something immensely moving in the whole business of a free election in a free country. ,. The Pill is thai so few of our people understand How Marvelou sly privileged we americans arc. We ought to look around a world in which free elections Are the exception not the Rule and we ought to offer profound thanks for the Liberty we. Take for grunted Freedom of speech Freedom of the press Freedom to exercise our religion to Pray publicly for a ship of War at sea these Are proper subjects for our oldest National Holiday. I thought about something else As i was driving Home to the Blue Ridge mountains. A month ago without warning i suddenly was crippled by a painful attack of sciatica. Never mind the details. After years of Independence i found myself dependent. Upon others. My Rote around the House is to be helpful but for these past four weeks i have been mostly has been As they say a learning experience. It has also been a humbling experience. Do you remember the parable of the Man who cursed his Fate because he had no shoes until he Meta Man who had no legs 1 was feeling awfully sorry for myself until 1 Mel by her people in the Airport at fort Lauderdale 1 fell id talking with a com Panion in the handicapped Section. He had been in his chair since 19s4, crippled by an Accident dependent upon his wife to look after him. They were As cheerful these past few weeks have. Id me rediscover the essential kindness of the american people time after Lime when 1 seemed to be struggling Wilh the wheel chair a total stranger would Stop by my Side. May give you a Pust there s a motto for the nation. Its something All of us can do. We can give our fellow Man a Little push. So it s Home now Home for Christmas and the Doc tors say i should be walking pretty Well by the first of the year. Meanwhile i have Lime to read some Long neglected books to listen to music and simply to watch the open fire in our Kitchen. November brought the cider season to this Apple growing country and the very air carries its Tang it s also Hunting season when our farming neighbors go for the Deer that provide Venison through the Winter. We have More Deer than the Range will support. The other evening it was the night of a full Moon Chuck Raney was driving Home to his vineyards. He had the car radio going. Right at a Sharp curve he stopped six Deer were in his path. He rolled Down a window. The Deer did t move. For three or four min utes in the Moonlight they listened to music together. It was t Mozart. It was More Likely Willie Nelson but in a Deanice tableau. " count your blessings when i think about coming Home and about Chris and the election and the old fellow in the wheelchair i Realise we have so Many of them
