European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 23, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday september 23, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 13 commentary James j. Kilpatric democratic candidates not presidential Timber Paul Tsongas the Massachusetts has been no longer is the Only announced democratic candidate for president. He has acquired company on the Campaign Trail. Let us have a flourish of kazoos for sen. Thomas Richard Harkin of Iowa and gov. Lawrence Douglas Wilder of Virginia. We Ink stained wretches of the press will have a Little fun after All. The senator from Iowa to put the matter gently is a blowhard of the old school. He rants he raves he storms he Bellows. In the University of politics he majored in Dumago Gutry. He took his minor in horsefeathers. On the stump he Sheds his coat lie Rolls up his sleeves he sweats in his armpits and he is every Inch a Man of the pee Pul. The governor by contrast is a soft spoken fellow. He too is full of hot air but he is no More inflated than other candidates for the Oval office. In his announcement speech on sept. 14, Wilder proposed to Cut the Federal budget by a tens of he would do this by a eliminating waste and a establishing that s what they All say. Welcome gentlemen brother Harkin will Campaign As a classic unreconstructed born again democratic Liberal. In the 1984 congressional ratings the Al Cio gave the senator a perfect 100. The american Security Council gave him a perfect Zero. The gentleman scored 14 with the american conservative Union putting him at the Bottom of the class with sen. Joe Biden a Del. Americans for democratic action gave him a plump 95. Harkin is running primarily against George Herbert Walker Bush and j. Danforth Quayle. He puts a Nasty Little spin on their names. It seems a Little unfair that Quot a. Danforth Quayle sounds like . Fields and Quot a. Douglas Wilder sounds like corporation counsel but who Ever said life is fair we May confidently expect 14 months of Bush bashing from both of these worthies. Harkin has a problem in running against Congress since he is part of it but Wilder has a problem also. Speaking to a lunch hour throng of state employees Wilder attacked a the party inside Washington for a making deals with higher regressive taxes and wasteful but the party inside Washington is the governor s own party. As the fictional or. Dooley remarked a Century ago the dimm cratic party ainu to on us Fritz m0nmll.lt to to to if Mno Neim amp interested coup. Speaking terms with itself. Wilder has other problems. His approval rating with Virginia voters has plummeted in recent months. If he winds up on the democratic ticket for 1992, he probably would lose his own state. Wilder s plan is to Campaign part time and continue As governor full Lime a neat trick that virginians May not fully appreciate. The governor has no experience in foreign affairs. Neither does the senator for that matter though he serves on a couple of subcommittees with foreign interests. Neither has experienced the grueling pressures of a National Campaign. These pressures matter. Wilder got himself in trouble a few weeks ago by wondering publicly if judge Clarence Thomas owned fealty to a the Harkin has a hoi temper. The press dearly loves a pop off. In 1984, the democratic hopefuls were known As the Somines six. This was unfair to the sleeping Pill. In 1988, they were tabbed the seven dwarfs a fair packaging Label that defamed sleepy Grumpy Dopey and Doc. The 1992 Field seems Likely to be As unimpressive now that the party a heavy hitters have turned in their bats. Other entries Are in Prospect. If gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas joins the Parade he will add a voice of common sense and moderation. Civ Ann Richards of Texas could add some Salt and Pepper. Californians former gov. Jerry Brown would be Good for a few laughs. Sen. J. Robert Kerrey of Nebraska has excellent credentials. He served with great valor in Vietnam winning the medal of Honor he served four years 1983-.87 As governor of Nebraska and he is what is known in the Boondocks As a handsome Dawg. As governor he enjoyed a Well publicized affair with actress Debra Winger. The voters of Nebraska combining Loose morals with a tight fist did not greatly object to the lady s sharing the governors bed. They objected to her sharing the governor s car. Welcome i say again. Welcome one and All. Complacency could defeat George Bush in 1992 a worsening Economy could make things Tough for him but Tsongas Harkin Wilder amp co. Haven t the stuff from which presidents Are made. C Universal Pross Syndicate William Saf Rebush should work on gaining Trust of kurd Trust is a fragile but valuable asset in the conduct of foreign policy. The degree to which the nearly free and the newly freed Trust the word and the will of the United states directly affects the decisions they make about their own Freedom. Consider the kurd and recall our commitment to their survival. Early this year after encouraging the valiant tribes people to Rise in revolt and help us rid the world of Saddam Hussein president Bush promptly abandoned them to helicopter gunship Slaughter. When the revulsion of americans television viewers got through to the Cool Geo strategists in the while House the Polive was hastily changed the allies Drew a safety line along the 38th parallel behind which the kurdish people would he guaranteed safety. Before the snapping of the worlds attention Span that is where we left them returning cautiously to their villages. The kurd were faced with a dilemma a a Choice Between unpleasant alternatives. One Horn was to do business with Saddam taking advantage of his weakened military condition to gel what autonomy could he negotiated now a but placing Faith in a killers agreements. The dilemma s other Horn was to hang Tough behind the parallel of Protection to agitate for the return of the Oil Center of Kirkuk to kurdish control and to join with shiites to add to the pressure to overthrow the sunni elite a but maybe to miss a rare Chance to improve prospects for some autonomy in iraqi Kurdistan. As people do under such pressure the kurd split. One group led by Massoud Marzani a emr. Inside Quot the surviving son of the legendary resistance Leader wants to sign an agreement with Saddam now Barzani remembers the american sellout of his father s cause and does not Trust the world to Long Honor today a temporary Protection. The other group led by Jalal Talaban a emr. Outside a a longtime Diplomat wants to reject the offer that Falls far Short of kurdish Hopes and to insist on Kirkuk Kurdistan a Jerusalem he puts More Faith in the moral staying Power of the rest of the world. Sensing weakness in this division among his victims Saddam has begun again to test american resolve. No More cosmetic concessions to democracy or autonomy in his dealings with kurd Only the shelling of some villages. The probing above the Protection line by Bis killer choppers. H is working Lor the iraqi dictator. Americans in tin key Are putting out word i hot these skirmishes Are not Saddam s fault but were provoked by to ices opposed to appeasement car Ani. Who units to sign the Deal on the table is muttering about looting by a a opportunist kurd. The Central Point dividing the kurd is Trust. Nobody trusts Baghdad of to disc but the Diller Cnoc is Trust in the West. Will America keep the pressure on Saddam even after lie achieves new Jii ass Desler Mclinn capacity when visiting Turkey this summer president turned Down a suggestion to see the iraqi kurdish leaders a signal that Bush was still Hung up on cars of a disintegration a of Iraq. Small wonder ins word is distrusted by Many kurd who see themselves treed to Deal with the Devil they know How to break out of the dilemma invite both bar Ani and Talaban to Washington. Assure them publicly that their people Are Safe where they Are that we no longer close our eyes to genocide and that the Republican i Uard w ill be bombed if Iraq Breaks the cease fire agreement. That would not Only Unity the kurdish leaders in a liar re against a premature Deal but would up the pressure on Saddam whose contemptuous smile will of Bliwise haunt the coming Bush Campaign. inca Luik fit i
