European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 15, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes wednesday August 15,1990 column Arnold Sawislak pols will bleed at polls a amp los scars one element of the savings and loan mess that has not received much attention might be called Quot the invisible scary Factor. Caroline Bird wrote a Book by that title some years ago to explore the psychological damage done to americans who lived through the great depression of the 1930s. The Book goes deeply into the attitudes of depression survivors about Bankers and their institutions. Needless to say the Prc-1929 financial Community did not have a High approval rating from people whose life savings were wiped out by widespread Bank failures. There is no doubt that Many of those people would have never again trusted Bankers and Banks had not the Federal government provided Federal Deposit insurance underwritten by the a full Faith and credit of the United states. It also can be speculated that voters who remember the depression and that would include people who were children in the 1930s, arc particularly sensitive to the a amp a situation and arc Likely to act on their fears or their anger in this Falls elections. These same people also have the highest Rale of election Day turnout of any age group and in some states particularly in the Sun Belt Are regarded As a crucial voting bloc. Significantly some of the worst savings and Loans failures in recent years have been in Texas and Florida. Against this background we now see the hot spurs of both the democratic and Republican parties beginning to look for a amp a villains a the Willie Horton of the 1990s, they have been called a to be pilloried in the rapidly approaching congressional and state office campaigns. The democrats for example Are working themselves into a froth Over Neil Bush the president s son who was on the Board of directors of a Denver savings and loan and engaged in some dealings that have been questioned. He denies any wrongdoing but at least one Democrat is calling for appointment of a special prosecutor to look into his Case. The republicans on the other hand Are making much of the fact that the democratic party supplied four of the a Keating five Quot senators. Democratic sens., Alan Cranston of California Donald Ringle of Michigan John Glenn of Ohio Dennis Deconcini of Arizona and Republican sen. John Mccain of Arizona took Campaign funds from a and allegedly sought to apply undue influence for a Charles Keating head of one of the biggest failed a amp is. There is More. The democrats charge the a amp a scandal was caused by the Reagan administrations Devil May care policy of deregulation in the 1980s, and note that Bush As vice president headed the Effort to end government controls on business. The Republican parly snaps Back that it was the democratic dominated Congress that approved deregulation and obviously failed to provide oversight to the results. The sad part of this sorry exercise in political scapegoating is that both sides have some Merit and the statement that there is plenty of blame to go around in this situation is eminently True. The disgraceful part of it is that All the cheap shot politicking has diverted attention from the enormous task of restoring the savings and loan Industry to the vital place it should have in supplying credit to the Public. Perhaps if the Gross greed and thievery of the a amp a scandal does t provoke voter outrage against the politicians who let it happen the Nasty politics it is spawning will. And it is very possible that the voters marked with the invisible scar will be the angriest. Sawislak is up senior editor Tom Wicke rips less costly to get along without Mideast Oil if presiden t Bush loses the Gamble he took in pledging that iraqis Conquest of Kuwait Quot will not stand a he might turn out to be a loser in american politics too. For the moment polls and every other indication suggest that the democratic Congress As Well As the american people approve of Bush a determination to oppose Saddam Hussein even to Send troops to saudi Arabia to guard a prime source of Western Oil against any further iraqi aggression. Bush a Well received performance As commander in chief also May have allowed him to recover at least for the time being from reaction against his broken pledge not to raise taxes and to Rise above a surge of unwelcome economic new s. That a not surprising. Presidents who Lake military action abroad particularly if they invoke rhetoric appealing to the overdeveloped american sense of self regard. Always Benefit from a rally round the Flag effect. Bush spoke in ringing tones of turning Back an aggressor and played on memories of the disastrous failure of Oiler nations to Stop hitlers Germain at the outset. Prudently the president did not picture his defense of saudi Arabia for what it also is Protection of the Oil supplies that fuel Western economies. Americans Are not so ready to fight wars for such realistic but non idealistic reasons. Nor has the word a a Panama passed Bush slips in the Middle East crisis. But Panama is relevant for at least two reasons. One is that not a few nations and at least a few americans regard the . Conquest of that country As having been aggression masquerading As operation just cause. George Bush thinks that a different a that was our aggression not their aggression. The second reason is that in Panama . Forces were Able to make the hit quickly win a one sided Battle and come Home before the criticism began to build. So were the forces engaged in Ronald Reagan s glorious Victory Over cuban construction workers in Grenada. In the age of television such hit and run wars can be celebrated since there a no need or Lime to watch on the Home screen As a Long Parade of body bags comes sadly Home. The Bush administration perhaps at the Behest of the feudalism saudi re Gime did not permit a . Press Pool to accompany the first troops sent to the desert a despite pledges after Grenada and Panama not to Black out the . Public again. That May suggest White House Hopes however vain for another Quick successful vote getting operation. In the Middle East that May not be in the cards. Indications Are that Saddam Hussein will not invade saudi Arabia and undertake the War with the United states that Bush a moves make a certain result. But nothing suggests so far that Saddam will pull out of Kuwait and restore the emirate in effect surrendering to Bush a Public demand. If the president then tries to throw Iraq out of Kuwait by military Force it will not be a Quick or bloodless operation. And it might not even be successful. I he alternative As it now appears would be stalemate in the desert a Iraq in Kuwait. The United states in saudi Arabia. As became evident in Korea and Viet Nam How Ever the american Public has Little tolerance Tor Long limited stalemated wars and the High casually Rale they bring. Quot if such a stalemate develops which Many military experts and authorities on the Region believe Likely Bush might soon find himself under the severe Public pressures to win or Settle an unpopular faraway conflict from which presidents Truman Johnson and Nixon suffered during Korea and Vietnam. Those presidents had International military support. But Bush May not be Able to persuade other nations a save Britain a to keep troops for Long in a peacekeeping Force in saudi Arabia. Meanwhile tightening Oil supplies and rising Oil prices might bring both inflation and recession in the United states a Lough combination to overcome for a president seeking congressional majorities and his own re election. Thus the Long term political Outlook for Bush May not be As Rosy As his present standing might indicate. He and his political advisers Are Well Able to make that calculation for themselves. Apparently they went ahead anyway with a policy they considered necessary despite its political hazards. But beyond the line he s drawn in the Sand perhaps George Bush and the nation now can see that it would make More sense to regain Independence from Middle East Oil than to die for it. A Yor k fun