European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 16, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes tuesday october 16,1990 Olum Shelen Thomas budget debacle tarnishes Bush s image this is the worst of times for president Bush who had Ridden the Crest of the popularity polls until the budget debacle made headlines. Now Bush is in the bulls Eye targeted for his handling of the crisis that led to a three Day shutdown of government operations. The president has been subjected to the kind of criticism that he has not heard since his vice presidential Days when he was harshly branded a a a wimp in some quarters. No one dared to tag him with that Label after he took Over the Oval office. For in contrast to the Reagan Era when he was the ultimate team player Bush quickly proved himself to be a take charge president and his own Man. A there is no Bunker mentality Here and no one thinks its the end of the world a White House press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater said adding that Bush takes it All a pretty much in speaking to aides Bush recently confessed a a in be taken a lot of hits this week taken on a Little water. This is not an easy time. They want Quick he knows it is a a difficult period a said Fitzwater who quoted the president As repeating a familiar movie line a a it a been a bad Day at Black Fitzwater said that he sees the president daily and is Given his marching orders before he goes to the regular news briefings. A Well go out there and do Battle a he is usually told. Fitzwater said the president also monitors those briefings which Are often contentious and that Bush is a always very complimentary afterwards Bush listens to the reporters questions which prepares him for his drop by Impromptu news conferences. A the knows exactly How the press feels a said Fitzwater. A the knows what their concerns Are. He hears the the president does not avoid Reading the critical stories and they have been coming in hot and heavy lately. But in a Good humor a he will ask Fitzwater a Why Are they saying these things a the spokesman said the senior White House staff is hunkering Down. A a we re All in this together a he said. A a it a a strategy everyone agreed on. We know we re going to take the hits until we get an asked if the White House handling of the budget crisis has been a Public relations disaster Fitzwater admitted a Well it Wasny to heralded As the greatest feat since Houdini jumped out of a but Fitzwater remains philosophical. Eventually he said a budget will be adopted and the uproar will die Down. A the polls Are just Fine a said Fitzwater. A they go up and Down. Nobody is surprised when there is a drop in a period like this. Beyond that we have to take what comes do the right thing and come one top aide who requested anonymity contended that the Only mistake on the part of the administration was a allowing Congress failure to be portrayed As our he said the president has been a very consistent All along in putting everything on the table As negotiable items in seeking a budget Accord. A this is a Public relations failure a he said. A but it we that rum him amp i just Hwe this room Dob will disappear As soon As we get an agreement. We re suffering. Bush is suffering. No one has covered themselves with glory. A but outside the Beltway a he added a people think Congress is at As for the broadsides against White House chief of staff John Sununu who was accused of being a heavy handed in the budget Summit negotiations the aide said a everyone is doing their Best. He a doing what Bush wants him to All the polls the aide said indicate that a everyone is suffering from a i think everyone has taken a hit in the polls in the last few weeks. Everyone looks bad. We Are trying to do our Best with an anarchy situation a he said. The aide said he does no to think the budget debacles political fallout will do any Long term damage to Bush. A the iraqi thing is a lot More important with a lot of lives at stake a he said referring to the . Military involvement in protecting the persian Gulf nations from further iraqi aggression after the aug. 2 invasion of Kuwait. Until now Bush has been the Luckiest president of contemporary times As the Berlin Wall collapsed and the cold War ended in Europe. But the failure to win passage of a budget produced no winners and plenty of losers at the White House and on Capitol Hill. From the display of Public outrage recently neither fared Well and there was plenty of blame to go around. As a former . Ambassador Cia director and chief . Diplomat in Beijing after the opening of China to the West Bush readily acknowledges that his Forte is foreign policy. But presidents also must carry the Burden of Domestic affairs. And some of the chickens of the prosperous Reagan years Are coming Home to Roost. The legacy has been financially devastating to the nation a $500 billion savings and loan scandal a projected $170 billion deficit for the 1991 fiscal year that could go higher and a $3 trillion National debt. Compromise rather than confrontation has been the presidents style. But still he had trouble overcoming the repudiation of the bipartisan Summit budget agreement overwhelmingly Defeated by the House. A a it a been hurtful to the Republican candidates who Are running a said former Reagan aide Lyn Nofziger. But he added that Bush has two years to learn his lessons and a to get Back on United press International Leon Daniel voters find mud slingers Slimy characters professional mud Slinger Roger Ailes really knows How to Hurt a Guy. The gop Media consultant called sen. Paul Simon a of sure the big bully later apologized to the Bow tied Little Illinois Democrat who wears Horn rimmed glasses. And so did Ailese client. Republican rep. Lynn Martin who is challenging Simon for his Senate seat. But it was too late. The damage was done. Call a political opponent a Weenie and the Label Sticks. Even older voters who Arentt quite sure what one is know they done to want to vote for a Weenie which is what youngsters Call a student despised for his Diligence. Ailes also called Simon a weasel an ornery Little mammal that sneaks into Hen houses at night to suck eggs. Every voter in Illinois knows that weasels also Are sneaky Fellows who lie a lot. Responding mildly to Ailese div tribe the gentlemanly Solon said a i done to remember being called names like that since i was at a county fair and ran into a fellow who had a Little too much to the current Campaign season has produced some Nasty mudslinging. Former gop sen. John Tower of Texas settled an old score by going to Nebraska to Campaign against sen. Jim Exon Cal ing the democratic incumbent a Boozer. Exon helped kill towers nomination As Secretary of defense on grounds of boozing. In the Texas gubernatorial Campaign Republican Clayton Williams publicly berated Democrat Ann Richards and branded a liar. Enraged by questioning of his banking practices Williams denounced Richards on a dais where they appeared together and rejected handshake. Williams Tantrum was televised throughout Texas and May erode his image As a Good old boy. Some observers contend mudslinging is getting worse arguing that president Bush a flip flopping on the deadlocked budget threatens to revive the 1988 Campaign charge that he is a wimp. There was a time when mudslinging was imaginative and richly entertaining. Sen. George Smathers once accused Claude Pepper his opponent in the Florida democratic primary of a matriculating with his sister a a woman who after graduation from University the incumbent charged was known to be a a thespian in new York City. Negative to ads have become the weapons of Choice in the political wars but cartoons still Are a popular medium for those who like their Campaign vitriol straight. To an exhibition in lower Manhattan chroniclers of corruption moral commentary by americans political cartoonists a makes current mudslinging look like gentle discourse. Works by cartoonist . Robinson Are displayed which brutally insulted then president Jackson who was portrayed As a Backwoods imbecile. Other artists delighted in lashing politicians calling them scoundrels Mutton Heads blackguard rascals ruffians plug ugliest and weak kneed Lily slivered rap scallions. The old masters of political cartooning would not have wasted Ink on a squeaky clean fellow like Simon. And they would never have employed such a weasel word epithet As Weenie. United press International the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government
