European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 28, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday november 28. 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 13 commentary Juan William things Aren t looking too sunny for Sununu a what is going on in the White House Quot asked one Republican activist last week As he surveyed the disarray in the executive mansion evidenced by presidential about faces on credit card interest limits and affirmative action regulations. Bush s abruptly cancelled a and now rescheduled a asian trip and the drop in his approval rating paralleling Public awareness of a still sagging Economy. A this administration is making the haitian government look organized a quipped democratic consultant Bob Beckel on a lbs news show a and. They Are putting their Finger on John added Beckel. A my guess is that sometime Between asian trips Jim Baker is going to take a walk to George Bush and say John Sununu is not the Man to take you to calmly seated at the Eye of this storm last week was John Sununu the White House chief of staff pointing with Delight to a new York times front Page Story that said the Bush family including first lady Barbara Bush Are fed up with him and have taken to mocking him behind his Back As a governor a these stories Are great for me a said Sununu. A that article that said the president and his family Are upset a the president and his family know that is wrong. So its Clear to them that people Are taking potshots improperly. And they Are always kind enough and generous enough to let me know that they feel that Way. The Only interaction that counts is that 1 serve the president and the presidents family Sununu adds that a a member of the family left the family quarters to come to his office and assure him that he has their support. A i appreciated it very much a he said. Sununu has been building bunkers for himself since the nov. 5 senatorial defeat of former attorney general Richard Thornburgh. That defeat and the ensuing panic that led the White House staff to cancel Bush strip to Japan and other parts of Asia fuelled the criticism now targeted at Sununu. A it used to be personal a said a Republican activist. A John Sununu snubbed a lot of people a lot of republicans. He is arrogant. He made moderates feel stupid. He made political people feel out of Olace in the White House. It was personal until now. Now there is a real argument to use against him. Simply put Sununu is not the Best. We can Back that up because of Thornburgh because of the defeat on the Energy Bill because of the health care problem the Economy and on and the heart of the attack is that Sununu and his staff have kept the president out of touch with the nation prompting the Sharp decline in Bush a popularity. Even worse critics argue far from helping Bush Sununu is now bringing the president trouble. White House counsel Boyden Gray took the blame for the civil rights Gaffe last week but Many insiders Felt that a More capable chief of staff would have headed it off. Quot what ups the week before Sununu is reported to have unilaterally inserted a line in a presidential speech supporting a limit on credit card interest rates another proposal that exploded in embarrassment for the president. Sununu of course has never been popular among Many republicans either within or outside the White House. But most of his antagonists would concede his competence. Now however both his personal and political judgment have come into Sharp question As a result of his featured role in a series of political fiascos. Last summer Sununu embarrassed the White House by his personal travel on government air planes and limousines. Then came the revelation of former Sununu aide de Rogers temporary connection with a saudi arabian Sheik involved in the Bocci scandal. More recently Sununu has been the focus of criticisms that the White House has no plan for dealing with the ongoing downturn in the Economy that he is indifferent to the National concern Over the High Cost of health care that he is encouraging the president to delay formation of a re election Campaign team and urging the president to let him run both the Campaign and White House that Sununu a enemies in new Hampshire will Hurt the president in a possible primary run against columnist Pat Buchanan that Sununu has antagonized the jewish Community and that he has led the president into gratuitous fights w Ith Congress Over civil rights and abortion. Apparently aware that the heal is on Sununu appeared on can for an hour Long Chat with talk show Host Larry King during which he even took questions from callers. In an interview last week Sununu abandoned his Normal bullying tactics with reporters while patiently trying to explain his role in the administration and his survival techniques. A first you have to understand what my Job is a said Sununu in relaxed confident tones. A prom the Day the president first came in he set Down directions for what he wanted Nic to do. He wanted the White House to work Well. He wanted Good information so he could make solid decisions in Sununu denies that he does anything the president does t approve of at least implicitly. Quot there is a fundamental premise that everyone in this City minimizes and that is i m no freelancer a he said. �?o1 meet with the president dozens of times during the Day. The president knows in a following his Agenda. What other people May look at is the result not being what they would have liked but the aspect of our relationship that is critical is that i know enough about the president to do exactly what he wants done. Exactly what he wants the presidents spokesman Marlin Fitzwater supports Sununu s claim of presidential backing a a he a got a lot of rough edges what can i Tell you but the president has made a Bottom line judgment. George Bush. Hired him he likes him and he shows no inclination to get rid of Fitzwater continued a the two Click. He knows Sununu goes to the Hill and Breaks China Steps on docs gives 100 percent. If you Are the president or the head of any organization you cherish Guys like that. Guys who run their Heads into Walls Are hard to Sununu said Bush has never discussed having him leave the chief of staffs Job not even during the headlines about his use of military planes for personal trips. Quot i did t think about leaving and he did no to mention the chief of staff adds that his Job conies Down to being a Quot Spear Catcher. Time Magazine called it Good cop had cop i done to like that but the tension goes with the Job. Ill is in t fun. 1 done to want anybody to have the impression 1 enjoy getting pot through the meat enjoy it or not the meat grinder is he zing and crunching. C Tho Washington pos William Safileas unabashed moderate Bush should win foot in Mouth disease has become so rampant in the Bush administration that Mikhail s. Gorbachev is trying to think of ways to help his Friend Shore up the Center in Washington. The White House counsel trying to give conservative coloration to a surrender on quotas circulates a policy that the president has not even seen and the new attorney general after the political trouncing of the old is shown to be out to lunch. The tottering chief of staff having suggested that the president Zap the Banks by calling attention to usurious credit card rates says publicly it was a Bush and lib a turning the president into a lightning Rod for the chief of staff a political first. The groundhog of american Prosperity comes out looks around and decides to go Back into its Hole presaging a Winter of discontent. As a result a less cocky president retreats to Camp David to consult the great Cato tin spirit about ways to bring a second wind to his heavy breathing presidency. The spirit said 1 throw John Sununu off the sled to satisfy pursuing wolves 2 show interest in health care and crime to prove you Are not fixated on foreign affairs 3 blame the democratic Congress for the droopy Economy and attack a Liberal carping As the source of bushwhacking. That advice is defensive other directed and a presi dental. Here is a better Way to avoid following Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter into one term presidencies 1. Recognize the new Hampshire Republican primary As your Spring Battleground the result of which will color the coverage of All pre convention politics and affect poll ratings. This Means your Early theme should be to save the country from defeatist isolationism represented by Pat Buchanan and populist coated bigotry represented by David Duke. If these dark forces take Over your party they will not be stopped by the weak democrats insist that a Only George Bush can save the country from the America firster of the right and the government firster of the left. Have John Sununu declare a i shall go to new assign him the task of running your Campaign there providing him not Only a face saving exit from Washington but making use of his undeniable new Hampshire organizational talents. You will of course lose in new Hampshire just As president Johnson was deemed the loser even after winning numerically. That s because new Hampshire republicans have a free vote to Register their discontent in March before returning to the fold in november and the headline sought by so Many in the Media is a Ubu Chapati Duke forces stagger the trick is to turn that primary tactical Quot defeat Quot into a Campaign strategic asset. Here show 2. Boldly grab and Widen the Safe right of Mcnier. You re an authentic moderate this Means the left considers you mean spirited and the far right condemns you As unprincipled and both arc partly Correct hut it also Means that your real self is neither the Willie Horton Hasher nor the new tax seller outer. Your closest aides arc afraid to Tell you that you sound whiny playing Reagan and shrill posing As Truman. But the real you is where the Voles Are your democratic opponent will know that and compete there but that won t be the real him and swing voters will sense that. The Economy will either react to Low interest rates and stimulating deficits and turn up soon or it wont Cut out the losing combination of fretting and jaw boning. Instead rally the people to your cause which can he More than Tough love at Home spasmodic assertiveness abroad. First Lake advantage of a beatable Challenge fight for the soul of your party against the wrong right whose members always despised you and now seek your ruin. You can heat them on everything hut abortion where they can out anti you but you re stuck with your minority position there so present it to centrists As an example of principle Over popularity. Mien use your convention to declare War on both selfish isolation and intrusive Sial ism. Your Ink strategy won t Fly in ?2 democrats Are preparing for a repeat so Cross pm up. If you run As a phony Rig tic against a centrist appearing lefty you la lose. If you run As an unabashed moderate against the extremes of right and left you ii w m a thu Nirve York Tuni s
