European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 24, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and stripes columns William Safire Gorbachev got All he wanted in Baker talks Why do you suppose Secretary of state James bakery a self congratulations after Liis magisterial ministerial in Moscow a a real accomplishments a some a heavy lifting Quot a was met by a Cool comment a mixed reviews a from president Bush More is involved than a presidents pique at being cast As a supernumerary at his own Summit. Bush knows that bakery a claim to have a split the difference with the soviets is untrue. The vaunted negotiator caved in to Basic Gorbachev demands All the Way Down the line. Only a few months ago Bush was making Plain that his primary goal in foreign affairs a that great end for which he was willing to so prudently ignore the economic coercion in the Baltic and to make valuable Trade concessions in Advance to the desperate soviet Economy a was to get the soviet army out of Eastern Europe perhaps even demobilized so As to make perestroika truly a a irreversible without a new invasion. A strictly secondary goal was a new agreement limiting nuclear missiles an area in which both superpowers spend Only one seventh of their arms budgets. Our Central purpose in that was to end the worst Dellab Ilizar of All the soviet monopoly on land based accurate intercontinental ss-18 heavy missiles Over 300 of which arc always at the ready 30 minutes from the . Text of in contrast the Central soviet purpose was to delay promised withdrawal Fri it amp get trom Eastern Europe including 600,000 troops in East Germany until Germany could be neutralized. The other Gorbachev goal was to focus on strategic arms reduction a not As Bush hoped on conventional troop draw Downs a to maintain the soviet heavy missile advantage and to Stop the improvement of americans potentially countervailing cruise missiles. On the eve of the Bush formalization of the Baker accords where does each nation stand the ., dealing from a position of unprecedented relative strength has failed to obtain what Bush used to say was our first priority the end of the red army a occupation of Eastern Europe. Forget about that conventional forces treaty. In the forgiving Baker formulation a your counterparts apparently weren table to respond meaningfully at this  the soviet Union having succeeded in changing the subject to nuclear arms proceeded to take Baker to the cleaners on that. To Moscow retained the right test and modernize its ss-18. Even after reducing their number by half the improved ss-18s will be As powerful a threat As today a 308 intercontinental missiles. We had hoped to allow the remaining half to atrophy untested calling into question their reliability to any first strike enthusiast. But Gorbachev told Baker to get lost. How about Banning All land based mired missiles done to even suggest it. Nor would the soviets then Budge on the Range of our air launched cruise missiles. We originally wanted 1,500 Kilometres to be Able to penetrate the soviet Union if the red army attacked Europe. They said 600. We bickered downward. They said 600. Then Baker a split the difference a 600. The negotiating breakthrough claimed by our Side a the allowance of our 770-Kilometer missile a tacit Rainbow a is vitiated by the Bush Promise in a Side letter not to modernize. We re Way ahead of the soviets in cruise technology. Space guided cruises with conventional warheads could Knock out tank columns without devastating civilian areas. To give up the right to improve our newest defensive weapon while giving the soviets the right to improve their most fearsome offensive weapon is naive horse trading. Having flip flopped on his priorities Bush cannot disavow bakery a get a Deal imprudence now. Next week we will hear fanfare about Poison Gas and Ballet company exchanges to drown out the Bush Baker failure to press the soviets to withdraw. How did Gorby do it his strategy was daringly orwellian weakness is strength. He stressed his political fragility and his economic Straits. He pointed in horror to the sinister forces who would take Over unless he had a free hand in Europe. Incredibly paralysed by fear of the who lost Gorbachev charge the Bush administration fell into the trap. Gorbachev gets what he wants on upgrading his ss-18s, freezing our cruises denying our on site verification of production facilities protecting his intercontinental backfire bomber and occupying Eastern Europe. We get to offer Trade and Aid to turn a Blind Eye to repression and to say the cold War is Over. C new York times David s. Broder Public does no to have to endure Sleazy campaigns across America this year politicians Are being tested not Only on the number of votes they can draw but on How far they will go to win. The struggle is being waged every Day. Four years ago in Alabama the Savage Battle for the democratic gubernatorial nomination produced 14 separate and conflicting court rulings on the identity of the rightful nominee and so much Public revulsion with the democrats that underdog Guy Hunt became the first Republican elected governor of Alabama in this Century. Until wednesday the five democrats vying in a close contest for the nomination to oppose Hunt had avoided negative ads or attacks on each other. A1 Lap Pierrc the Veteran democratic party executive director said a the candidates understand that if they get personal they re out of  but on wednesday night Charles Bishop broke the truce with an and accusing three rivals of taking a thousands and thousands of dollars from a political committee that launders Money for the hazardous waste  Bishops Media consultant Tom King said he decided to take the risk because a the is behind and he needed to shake up the  there Speaks the backroom voice that has fed so much of the Public cynicism about politics. But in this the fourth of the promised periodic reports on my a a Crank crusade to improve the tone and increase the substance of our political campaigns i also have some Good news to report. Since i wrote that first piece Back in january announcing my intention to become a National nag on the subject of Sleazy Campaign tactics the journalism world has responded in unbelievable fashion. Many newspapers have stepped Forward on their own to Analyse and criticize the political ads being run in their states a and so have some broadcast organizations. The heightened press scrutiny of 30-second to spots has itself become the subject of stories in Many publications and on the network news. . News amp world report devoted considerable space to it. But the Best news is that politicians have gotten the message a and not just in Alabama a that shoddy tactics can and will become an Issue in their campaigns while Candor in discussing the Public Agenda May even bring some rewards. Some candidates and consultants Are experimenting with techniques that deliver a More solid substantive message to voters than 30-second to spots permit. Gop consultant j. Brian Smith for example is mass mailing videotapes of his candidates describing their backgrounds qualifications and views to prospective Republican primary voters in two states a Arizona and new Jersey a where he is working. Smith claims it is Cost efficient compared to to and certainly gives voters far More information than they would get from a to spot. I do not want to leave you thinking that everyone has cleaned up his act. Enough of the anything goes philosophy lingers that a campaigns and elections a which Bills itself As the Magazine for political professionals announced plans for its annual training program next month with a press release headlined a negative campaigning skills to be taught at Campaign  that May strike you As similar to a grocery and for a plaint fat hrs pfc re re or Nolan wan Linkla. U.4___ and for a tainted beef or a Rotten vegetables a but presumably they know their Market. Certainly the slugging in the Texas democratic gubernatorial primary and Runoff earlier this Spring was As below the Belt As anything in be Ever seen. A crucial test of the politicians ability to keep their stilettos sheathed comes up in the final weeks of the june 5 California primary. The California governorship is the biggest single prize in the 1990 election. While sen. Pete Wilson a Calif is a cinch for the gop nomination atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp and former san Francisco mayor Dianne Feinstein Are in a close race for the democratic nomination. Across the country politicians in both parties Are waiting to see if they descend to the level of their Texas counterparts. Fortunately the California Media Are not waiting. Newspapers in los Angeles Sacramento and san Francisco have been giving close scrutiny to every new to spot grading it for truthfulness or distortion and so has a san Francisco television station. The warning lights Are flashing for any politician who wants to try a sneak punch. Incidentally i was not aware when i launched my Effort that the Long Beach calif., press Telegram As Long ago As 1984, had set up a hot line phone number two weeks before each local election on which readers could Call in reports about a dubious Campaign tactics and Sleazy Campaign materials. Editorial Page editor Jonathan Fried says head be Happy to see other papers borrow the idea. Since the hot line began and the paper showed its readiness to rebuke even candidates it had previously endorsed or in one instance withdraw its endorsement because of shoddy tactics the number of abuses seems to have declined dramatically. A the phone used to ring off the Hook especially on the weekend before the election a Fried told me a but last year and this in a significant  what this says is that Rotten campaigns Are not a curse we have to suffer. When you see the sleaze Start \ just sit there a make your voice heard. The Nehf manc Ora a politicians Are beginning to listen. C Washingto j Washington Post writers group