European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 23, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday july 23, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 13 commentary Sydney h. Schanber Bush s civil rights record words Don t match president Bush professes astonishment when people criticize his history on racial issues. Gee Whiz he says what s the fuss All about his actual quote uttered at a recent news conference was a they listen we got a Good record on civil rights and we re going to continue  that s the message he said he would deliver to Black americans a every Chance i  he said he would also Tell Blacks a you ought to be rejoicing that we have a very Able judge to he elevated to the supreme  Well one reason Blacks and other people interested in civil rights Arentt rejoicing Over Bush a nomination of a Black Man Clarence Thomas to fill Thurgood Marshall a seat on the supreme court is that Clarence Thomas does no to have a coherent philosophy on civil rights. For one thing he seems to oppose the idea of using affirmative action to help counter the reality of past and present racial discrimination. Thomas May have much to recommend him As a person of character but his qualifications do not extend to being a distinguished Jurist. He seems most devoted to being a Republican. But George Bush a shoddy record on civil rights did not Start with Clarence Thomas. You can go Back nearly three decades for the Early evidence a to the time when Bush then a candidate for the Senate from Texas opposed the 1964 civil rights Bill saying it a violates the constitutional rights of All  and then of course leaping Forward to Bush a 1988 presidential Campaign who can forget Willie Horton who can forget that crude Appeal to White fears Bush is still trying to rewrite history about that piece of ugly campaigning. He gave it his latest spin last week saying a the Point on Willie Horton was not Willie Horton himself. The Point was do you believe in a furlough program that releases people from jail so they can go out and rape pillage and plunder again Quot sure George we re with you. We know it had nothing to do with Willie Horton a Black skin or with a desire to make White people afraid of Blacks and unsympathetic Walter it. Mears to those politicians inclined to help Blacks and other minorities. Horton is a Black murderer. While on furlough from a prison in Massachusetts a the state where Bush a opponent Michael Dukakis was governor a Horton raped a White woman and stabbed her husband. Bush and his Campaign operatives exploited this Issue at every turn. The racial Motif was quite Clear. It worked. It did what George wanted it to do it pushed the fear Button in White people. And Many of them voted against Dukakis because of this. In an interview before he died of an inoperable brain tumor earlier this year Lee Atwater Bush a Campaign manager apologized for the dirty tactics. But Bush has no apologies. He a too Busy. Busy trying to defeat civil rights Bills Busy cutting Federal Aid to cities which is of course where minorities and the poor Are concentrate Busy filling the supreme court with judges who oppose affirmative action Busy refusing to adjust the 1990 census even after he was shown a sizable under count of minorities. Bush performed the census distortion too a through Secretary of Commerce Robert Mosbacher a country club Ber who was George s finance chairman in 1988 and will resign soon to take up the same Job for 1992. Mosbacher announced that he had decided to ignore the 5 million americans who had t been mounted in the 1990 census. He acknowledged that most of the overlooked americans were people of color largely in cities but said laughably that he was doing it for the Good of the country. He explained that never before had the nose count method been adjusted later by a statistical formula drawn from a study of the omissions and errors found in the original count and therefore a we cannot proceed on unstable ground in such an important matter of Public  Mosbacher was right about one thing a its an important matter. The count determines How Federal Aid is distributed. It also affects the distribution of congressional and state legislative seats. Since the uncounted 5 million Are mostly from cities they arc mostly democrats. The poker faced Secretary said his decision had nothing to do with politics. Us huh. The census Bureau comes under the Commerce department which is Why Mosbacher was the one carrying out Georges terrific civil rights policy this time. A after a thorough review Quot said the Dutiful Mosbacher a i find the evidence in support of an adjustment to be inconclusive and  the census bureaus director Barbara Bryant is a professional demographer. She said the Quality of the Post census Survey was  she noted that censuses have always been flawed in the counting of Blacks and other minorities and said a for the first time in history we have a tool for  but Bryant failed to Sway the White House. So now we have 5 million invisible americans most of them minorities. But not to worry. Just read Georges lips a they listen we got a Good record on civil rights and we re going to continue  c nows Maybush s Cia court nominees face Rocky Road even among the most Loyal of republicans there is l nagging twinge of doubt about president Bush a Sec-3nd-Chance nominee to run the Central intelligence Agency. And one leading Senate supporter of Clarence Thom to for confirmation to the supreme court fears a rerun it of the Campaign that prefaced the rejection of Robert Jorke a nomination four years ago. With two controversial nominations awaiting Senate hearings it May be a Long hot August recess for the Bush White House. Congress is due to adjourn for its summer be break on aug. 5 and return after labor Day. That can prove a difficult season for administrations Rith officials under Challenge or contested nominees on old. Its a quiet spell a time when opponents can organic mount a Campaign try to apply pressure Back Home and often command attention that would otherwise be inverted or at least divided by other issues. That worked against Bork. It contributed to the in oing of White House budget director Bert Lance in 977, after a summertime investigation into his personal inking practices. During the 1990 break a line by line Sarch of David h. Souter a sparse Public writings called Lention to every hint at an abortion position that still Mains enigmatic after his first term on the supreme ourt. The summer break was anticipated on the Thomas it Mina Tion. But Bush had angrily demanded prompt mate action on his nomination of Robert Gates to be Rector of the Cia saying senators should not panic my run like a Covey of Quail because of allegations inst him. That was on july 12 four Days later the White House settled for a delay until sept. 16 because of renewed questions about the Iran Contra scandal. Gates Bush a Deputy National Security adviser and former no. 2 Man at the Cia has said he did no to know about the diversion of Iran arms Sale proceeds to Aid the nicaraguan Contra rebels before it was disclosed in november 1986. Gates was nominated to he Cia director in 1987 but withdrew when Iran Contra controversy undermined his Senate confirmation backing. Bush chose him for the Job again on May 14. Hearings that were to have been held last week were postponed after another former Cia official pleaded guilty to unlawfully withholding information from Congress. That revived the Case the investigation by a special prosecutor and the political problems that go with the Issue especially with Bush a making a second try for Gates. A it tends to bring it up from a Back Burner a said rep. Robert h. Michel of Illinois the House Republican Leader who defended Gates while pointing out that he can to swear of his own knowledge that nothing was wrong. Michel said he had sought reassurance at the White House. A Are we All right a he asked and was told not to worry. A a we be always been told there a no problem there a no problem a Michel said. A there is no smoking gun Quot vice president Dan Quayle said wednesday calling Gates a Man of Complete integrity. Quayle in Manchester n.h., also said the postponed hearings mean Gates critics will have a Clear Field to take shots at him. The White House statement concurring in the postponement said Bush remains concerned that a prolonged process will unfairly subject Gates a to continuing innuendo and groundless  a two part Senate intelligence committee hearing with Gates testifying in his own behalf before the break and potentially damaging witnesses afterwards would have risked worse trouble inviting a line by line investigation. Bush saw that coming when he demanded that the whole process be conducted now rather than stretching All summer. A you know and i know there la be questions every single Day a he said. Quot what about this allegation what about that a on the Thomas nomination sen. John c. Danforth r-mo., said he a concerned that the tactics used against Bork Are being used again. Quot there was an Effort by opponents of judge Bork to in effect go Over the head of the Senate particularly during the summer recess and to whip up various interest groups a he said. Thomas a conservative Black appeals court judge faces Liberal critics and the opposition of the congressional Black caucus As Bush a nominee to succeed retiring Justie Thurgood Murshak. Quot i can see it coming All Over again a Danforth said last week Quot the politicization of the confirmation process As though it was a political Campaign As though it was a Campaign for president or the  the associated press