European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 23, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 28 the stars and stripes monday july 23,1990 _ Newport news a. Api a president Bush reminisced about his Days As a naval aviator at saturdays christening of the nuclear powered aircraft Carrier George  things were quite different  said Bush who flew As a Carrier Pilot in world War ii. Quot the planes were slower the ships were smaller. A and As i looked around at these admirals and some of the enlisted men and women i had the privilege to meet with they All seem younger today a Bush told a crowd of about 15,000 at Newport news shipbuilding. The $3.57 billion George Washington is the sixth Nimitz class Carrier built at the Only shipyard in the nation capable of constructing the huge warships. The last ship named the George Washington was the country a first submarine capable of firing Polaris missiles. A that was in 1960. We faced the dangers and. Uncertainties of a new kind of threat then a the nuclear cold  defense Secretary Dick Cheney said in introducing Bush. A a a. The submarine George Washington helped provide the deterrence our Freedom  calling the aircraft carriers the nations a designated hitters Cheney said the George Washington would help pro. Vide the same strength and Security to maintain  said the carriers Are a an indispensable element of our nations defense projecting Power and preserving peace. So today we must maintain a policy of peacetime engagement and armed forces sufficient to sustain our National  a we will not shrink from this respond at carriers Sivility a Bush said. A and let the George Washington proclaim americans commitment to remain forever  the crowd cheered and waved flags As first lady Barbara Bush christened the ship with the traditional bottle of Champagne. As the bottle broke on the ships Bow the ships sirens and horns sounded and four Navy jets flew overhead. Construction of the 91,487-ton ship began in 1986. Refinements in construction techniques have seeded the building of the Nimitz carriers and the George Washington was completed nearly two years faster than the first of its class. Two other Nimitz carriers Are under construction at the Yard when the George Washington is commissioned in late 1991, the ship will be Home to 2,800 officers and sailors. An other 2,700 will be aboard when the ship adds its air Wing of 85 aircraft. The Carrier measures 1,040 feet from Bow to Stem and 1,092 feet on its flight deck. From its keel to the top of its Mast the ship is 244 feet High a the equivalent of a 24-Story building. The Galley will serve 18,150 meals a Day. The ship can travel More than 45 Mph at full Speed and its air conditioning Plant can Cool the equivalent of 2,000 Homes. The ship has More than 900 Miles of electrical Cable More than 1 million tubes transistors and diodes and More than 2,000 telephones in its 3,000 compartments. R the ship will be Able to travel 800,000 Miles to 1 million Miles before its nuclear reactors need refuelling. The George Washington is the 26th earner buil t at the Yard. Brennan from Page 1 Bush convened a White House meeting of his senior Legal policy advisers to discuss a list of about 15 possible nominees. The 75-minute session included White House chief of staff John Sununu attorney general Dick Thornburgh and presidential counsel c. Boyden Gray. One administration official said that the president hoped to announce his Choice within a week to 10 Days but another aide said that he might wait until after Congress began its summer recess on aug. 3, any nominee is sure to spark scrutiny and controversy As the Justice who could Well swing the High courts slim majority upholding abortion nights. And abortion rights advocates and other groups that helped derail the 1987 nomination of Robert Bork began organizing for what could be another Battle in the demo cratic controlled Senate Over membership on the nations highest court. Kate Michelman executive director of the National abortion rights action league said that abortion rights advocates already were mobilizing. She said her group sent out 500,000 mail Grams saturday morning telling people to Call the White House and their senators and to Send Money for the fight. A there will be a National grass roots Effort to defeat any nominee that does not unequivocally support our right to choose. The pro Choice majority will not allow a nominee to Duck this Issue a Michelman said. She said that if Bush picks an abortion opponent there is Likely to be a a massive political March on the streets of Washington during the confirmation hearings. White House strategists believe Bork a nomination was Hurt because it was announced when Congress was in session. His critics quickly organized to fight him. Bush presumably would like to have his nominee confirmed before the supreme court returns to work in october after its summer recess. Senate judiciary committee chairman Joseph Biden d-del., urged Bush to a follow the historical practice of consulting with Senate leaders before making his Choice a when the Senate and the president have worked together they have Best exercised their constitutional responsibilities to fill such important posts Quot Biden said. One group that led the bitter fight against Bork urged Bush to nominate a a consensus candidate to the Courta now is the time for a president who will act As a healer and Lead the nation to a National reconciliation on civil rights issues a said a joint statement issued by Ralph Neas and Benjamin Hooks of the leadership conference on civil rights. The new Justice could be critical in reversing Roe is. Wade the landmark 1973 decision that established abortion rights. He or she also could provide the crucial vote conservatives need to win a majority on other controversial Public policy questions a to narrow civil rights protections weaken the Wall Between 1 Church and state and limit Legal appeals in death penalty cases. Starr who is respected for his judicious manner and his Legal scholarship quickly emerged As a front runner. As solicitor general the governments Chi if advocate before the supreme court Starr wrote a Brief in 1989 Stan urging that Roe is. Wade be overturned. But As an appeals court judge in Washington he apparently wrote no opinions involving abortion rights and his personal views on the Issue Are not Public. Other possible candidates included a group of Federal appeals court judges among them Ralph a Winter of the 2nd circuit a j. Harvie Wilkinson Iii of the 4th circuit a Patrick a Higginbotham of the 5 the circuit. A Frank Easterbrook of the 7th circuit. Some longtime associates of Bush predicted that he would like to take a less trodden path by choosing the first hispanic Justice a the possibilities include Federal appeals court judge Ferdinand Fernandez of the 9th circuit and Texas supreme court Justice Raul Gonzalez a or by naming a second Black or woman to the nine member court. Quot i think there Are a lot of different directions he can 8�.&Quot a White House official said but added that the a obvious candidates Quot among women and minorities lacked the seniority needed for the appointment. Federal appeals court judge Clarence Thomas is one Black possibility although he is not considered a Likely candidate because his nomination to the District of Columbia circuit provoked considerable controversy. One moderate Republican senator expressed support for special Trade representative Carla Hills but predicted Bush was More Likely to turn to a social conservative. A abortion has become the Issue a the senator said in an interview saturday. Bush jokingly predicted Friday that a everybody will Tell me exactly what i ought to do a and lobbying on the nomination was sure to be fierce. One analyst said that the anti abortion advocate with the Best Chance of Senate confirmation was Utah Republican sen. Orrin Hatch a staunch conservative whose support would be bolstered As a sitting senator with personal ties to such Liberal members As sen. Edward Mkennedy a mass. Or Bush could choose a nominee such As Starr whose personal views on abortion Are not known. Recent court nominees have declined during Senate confirmation hearings to predict How they would Rule in sensitive cases that might come before them on the court. In a Brief question and answer session with reporters aboard air Force one on Friday he said he would look for a a strict constructionist. Who will be on there not to legislate from the Bench but to faithfully interpret the  the advice Bush has so far solicited comes from three of his More conservative advisers Thornburgh Sununu and Gray. All three for example recently urged Bush to veto a pending civil rights Bill in Congress because it could Force employers to adopt quotas in hiring. None would offer any clues about their advice or Bush s leanings. But other conservative Legal activists say they know two possibilities Bush certainly wants to avoid another Blackmun and a another  for conservatives Harry a. Blackmun is the ultimate horror. Appointed by former president Nixon and touted As a conservative Blackmun instead became a leading ueberal on the court and wrote the Roe is. Wade ruling. The lesson Here conservatives say is that the White House should appoint a judge with a Clear track record. Bork 81 the a ther extreme is the lesson Robert a his track record was too Clear civil rights leaders and Senate democrats were Able to destroy Bork s nomination by picking apart his Many controversial statements and  from Page 1 after two weeks we were fully booked through the end of september a Stieg Mann said. Space available travel via the military Airlift come also is difficult to come by. A spokesman said waiting times for  flights from Rhem main a West Germany Are running Between 12 and 15 Days. \ a people Are waiting a week or two to get a hop from Here to the Stales a said air Force staff sgt. Brian Shannon of the military Airlift come s Liaison office in naples.1_ a one of the reasons for the delays is that we have had Only one category b military charter flight per week to the states. Starting next week we Are going Back to having two cat is one on monday and the other on thursday and that could possibly change the space available picture Quot he said. But service members flying from Raf Mildenhall a terminal in England done to usually have to wait too Long to get on  flights said capt. Kevin Brewer officer in charge. A literally a plane can drop from the sky and then we re sitting on a Bunch of empty seats a he said. Last week one plane flew to new York with 30 empty seats he said. Brewer advised service members to Check regularly for space available travel because its not unusual for unexpected flights to crop up on the schedule. The terminal often does no to get notice of stateside destined strategic air come planes until 24 hours or less before the plane takes off. Travel agents in West Germany look for the tight ticket situation to persist at least unlit Early september. A there Are still a few seats but they re hard to find Quot said Wolfgang Muller who owns a travel Agency South of Frankfurt. A for Eum peans the . Is a very reasonable destination at the moment. Prices at the most popular . Resorts Are even cheaper than they Are in  Mary Jackson West Germany director of the military travel corp., a firm that Sells charter airline packages to . Service members said charter flights Are crowded too. It s not Only that a lot of germans Are travelling. A lot of americans Are Fly my to Europe this year As Well Quot she said. The fan 0f the Berlin Wall the a passion Ebay being held m Oberammergau West Germany for the Only time this u Rue and talk of military troop cuts Are All tueling overseas travel she said. With the drop in troops supposedly coming family members Are taking their Chance to come Over for a visit before their loved one gets sent Home a she said. Contributing to the report Ulitt writer hindu or a