European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 25, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday May 25, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 15 commentary David s. Bro Derbush s vision of ., reality not compatible Quot no vision he s 60t n0thin6 not had it not been for the heartbeat problem that hospitalized him. President Bush a commencement address at the University of Michigan this month would have received More of the attention it deserved. A a a a  v. A a a it was a rare Effort by this chief exec Utvic to express in thematic and philosophical terms his vision of America and its government and it raised again in the sharpest terms the fundamental question in be always had about Bush Given his privileged upbringing and the insulation of his High office How much does he know about the realities of everyday life a in his Ann Arbor talk Bush deliberately chose to contrast his vision of America with that of Lyndon b. Johnson who described his a great society program on the same Campus in 1964. While acknowledging that the tasks of which Johnson spoke a remain with us. Revitalizing cities rejuvenating schools trampling Down the hoary Harvest of racism and protecting our environment Quot Bush insisted that Johnson a approach had been a Flop. A programs failed to produce Progress. And in time this crusade  for i1is part Bush proposed to seek a the Good society a something he assured his listeners a does not demand agonizing sacrifice. It requires something within everyone a reach common  a common decency a a by which lie Means civility and generosity the personal Virtues in which he and his wife Excel a will suffice because America As Bush sees it is in tip top shape. A when our policies unleashed the economic expansion of the 1980s, we. Reaffirmed our status As the world s greatest economic Power a lie said. That s a remarkable statement to make in the Home of the battered Domestic Auto Industry a state where unemployment has reached 10.1 percent. But that was just the beginning of Bush a myth making. Praising a the greatness of our free Enterprise system that a lets one person s Fortune become everyone a gain a he said a no system of development has Nur lured virtue As completely and rigorously As ours and we be become the most egalitarian system in history and one of the most  Booth Gardner the democratic governor of Washington challenged Bush a View in an equally rhetorical speech  a few Days later at Washington. State University. Gardner reminded listeners that Lead Start and medicare a part of Johnson a legacy a arc so popular that every politician including Bush now sings their praises. And he asked of the rest of the great society a is no to it better to try to fail and to learn from failure than to sit and do nothing a this argument cannot be settled by flinging one rhetorical question at another. It cries out Lor facts if Bush is right on his facts then Gardner is wrong in suggesting that the government should continue costly social experimentation. But if Bush is seeing a world that does not exist then it s his vision that is Clang Orous. A a. A v a. A. A Here Are some facts. The newly issued Quot youth indicators 1991,�?� published by the department of education says that in 1965, when the great society began just More than 20 percent of children younger than 18 lived in poverty. Five years later the number had been sliced below 15 percent during the Reagan Bush years the percentage has climbed Back to the 19-20 level. Percent what about government Aid to poor families with children a the Al do program measured in constant 1990 dollars the average monthly stipend per recipient was lifted in the first five years of the great society from $137 to $168. In the 10 Reagan Bush years it has declined from $148 to $131 a less purchasing Power than it provided Back in 1965. This is common decency Tell us Aga big or. President How a one persons Fortune becomes everyone s . C Washington Post a William Safi re demos had their own version of watergate do you remember what watergate was All about it was about the intrusion by the party in Power into the rights of political challengers a the ins using their Power unfairly to Block the outs. In his Eye popping memoirs a counsel to the president a Clark Clifford shows in exquisite detail How Lyndon Johnson colluded with Moscow a and abused the Power of our intelligence agencies a to try to Block Richard Nixon a Challenge and swing the 1968 election to the democrats Hubert Humphrey. That revelation was not Cliffords intent of course on the contrary this Democrat whose civilized partisanship 1 have Long admired charges the Nixon Campaign with a Gross even potentially illegal interference with the Security affairs of the nation by encouraging South Vietnam to avoid participating in a Paris meeting Central to a 1968 election weekend stunt. But he and Collaborator Richard Holbrooke to their credit Lay out the damning facts about Johnson a last minute North Vietnam bombing halt and abortive peace conference designed to attract dovish voters to Hubert Humphrey. Three weeks before election Day writes Clifford Moscow sent an urgent message to Johnson a if the  Stopped the bombing of North Vietnam Hanoi would agree to the participation of the Saigon government in the negotiations that would follow  lbs was suspicious of this sudden communist turnabout arid Clifford then defense Secretary a remembered Averell Harriman a prediction that Moscow would try to prevent a Victory by Nixon whom they still regarded As an unreconstructed cold  but Moscow a interest in stopping Nixon paralleled the democrats interest. Lbs agreed on condition that negotiations be in within 24 hours after the cessation of the bombing a a i.e., in time for election Day. The  Election results would have been reversed but Tor the refusal of South Vietnam a president Thieu to attend the Paris photo Opportunity a Nixon supporter Anna Chennault had told him this was a ploy to defeat Nixon who would be a More steadfast ally than Humphrey. V under pressure from Moscow a Aleksei Kosygin and badgered by Clifford lbs a though queasy at Selling out the South vietnamese to elect Humphrey announced a last minute bombing halt and peace conference. Artfully Clifford masked South Vietnam a absence in an lbs statement hailing a conference at which Saigon was a free to participate.�?�. As a Nixon speechwriter i saw that curious phrase through speech writers eyes Why free to not will it meant that president Thieu had refused to play the democrats game. While Bryce Harlow drafted a pious statement from Nixon the rest of us passed the word that lbs a a did t have his ducks in a row.�?�. The Media reported that fact and the democrats last ditch attempt to manipulate Public opinion failed. In castigating Chennault for foiling the scheme Clifford is forced to reveal the basis of his suspicion of her a the information had been derived from extremely sensitive intelligence gathering operations of the Fri the Cia and the National Security Agency these included surveillance of the ambassador of our ally and an american citizen with Strong political ties to the  recognizing that this was a startling admission of the abuse of government Power to defeat a political opponent Clifford footnotes a it should be remembered that the Public was considerably More innocent in such matters in the Days before the watergate hearings. A. John Mitchell Nixon a 1968 Campaign manager knew what Chennault a who needed no guidance a was doing. Later As attorney general he Learned from the Fri and Cia exactly How the White House orchestrated a say a eavesdropping on Nixon so dragon lady and Ciao a illegal surveillance of National Security aide Richard Allen. Returning to manage the 1972 Nixon Campaign Mitchell entrusted such unlawful intrusions to amateurs for which he was jailed. Two Days before he died in 1988, As 1 needled him Over lunch for tapping my phone Mitchell replied a i Learned everything i knew about political surveillance from lbs in �?T68 a except to leave it to the  \ a a a a a a. Clark Cliffords memoirs confirm that. Watergate a crimes grew from seeds planted in the Power abuses of the Johnson administrations a october surprise.c now York Timos. 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