European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 9, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday december 9, 1991 the stars and stripes a Page 13 commentary William m. Welch a a a end of Cranston Case still leaves questions what began As the Keating five Case two years ago ended with a Stern reprimand for the Keating one sen. Alan Cranston whose political career is essentially at an end. He has another year to serve but the 77-year-old California Democrat was undeniably a victim of his own involvement with savings and loan Baron Charles h. Keating jr., who lavished Campaign Money on his Senate friends in Hopes a by his own admission a of buying influence. The Senate ethics committee had already dealt with the other four senators caught up in allegations they accepted Money in return for doing Keating favors. Two received rebukes for creating improper appearances sen. Donald w. Riegle jr., d-mich., and sen. Dennis de Concini a Ariz. Their political fortunes have been damaged but they Don t have to face the voters a and an ultimate verdict a until 1994. Political judgments will be made next year about the other two senators Democrat John Glenn of Ohio and Republican John Mccain of Arizona. They were chastised for exercising poor judgment. In addition to the five senators the Senate itself was scrutinized. And despite persistent Calls for Reform ideological divisions Are powerful roadblocks to the changes that Many seek. Republicans remain unalterably of Fiose to Public financing democrats reuse to give up the political action committee contributions that funnel special interest Money to their candidates. A until such time As we get All of government controlled by either the democrats or the republicans 1 done to think we re going to manage to Reform Campaign finances 1 said Thomas Mann director of government studies at the Brookings institution a Liberal research group. Those changes wont be settled this year perhaps not even before the voters Render their verdict in 1992 and 1994 on Riegle Glenn Deconcini and Mccain. But even for the two who got the lightest treatment repair work lies ahead. Mccain s Job ratings in Arizona polls have recovered somewhat but Are not nearly at the level they were before the scandal said Charles e. Cook jr., a political analyst and editor of a political newsletter. A was a result Mccain is not yet on solid footing for re election a Cook said Glenn the 70-year-old former astronaut has recovered in Ohio poll ratings from the worst Days of the scandal. Yet he still faces a $3 million debt left from his ill fated 1984 presidential Campaign a constant reminder of the financial burdens that made Keating and other big contributors so Welcome in the corridors of Congress. Cranston s Public punishment did Little to help define the Bounds of acceptable conduct in the Senate. Though he accepted the verdict Cranston was defiant in his final defense. He blamed the system of financing campaigns that puts a Premium on full time Money raising. That was the one Point on which Cranston and some of his strongest accusers could agree. A year ago to the week Robert Bennett the special counsel to the Senate ethics committee who presented the Case stood in a Senate committee room and warned that the Keating Case was a symptom of the diseased system of financing campaigns. Without Reform Bennett said then a we will have More cases like this and the reputation of this body and its member will be in utter a the Issue at the heart of the Keating five ease and the overriding ethics Issue facing the United states Congress is the corrupt system for financing congressional said Fred Wertheimer president of common cause the interest group whose original complaint sparked the ethics committee s investigation. More immediate for the 1 h members of the Senate is what Cranston s Case says about avoiding similar peril within the current finance system. The Resolution condemning Cranston said he violated no Law or specific Senate Rule acted without corrupt intent and received no personal financial Benefit from Keating s Money. What he did the Resolution said was engage a in an impermissible pattern of conduct in which fund raising and official activities were substantially Cranston argued that his behaviour a soliciting and accepting $900,000 in contributions for organizations he supported while intervening with savings and loan regulators on behalf of Keating a created Only a an appearance of but the ethics committee said there was a Middle ground a violations of More than appearances but not of specific Law or Rule. Cranston so pattern of impermissible conduct Quot the committee concluded a violated established norms of behaviour in the Senate and was improper conduct that reflects upon the Cranston and his attorney Alan Dershowitz argue that no one knows what those norms Are. But sen. Howell Heflin d-ala., who led the ethics panel s probe said they do. It is Heflin said like supreme court Justice Potter Stewart s Well known guide to identifying obscenity a the knew it when he saw c the associated pres Barbara Star Money key to future of air Force s yf-22a despite Pentagon cutbacks the air Force is moving ahead with plans to develop a Multi role fighter to replace the f-16 fighting Falcon by the year 2005. A a new Multi role plane will do everything the f-16 of today does and More a from shooting Down enemy aircraft to flying bombing Mission into enemy territory a said an air Force spokesman. The Falcons which first entered the Fleet in the late �?T70s, had been slated to be phased out in 1993. But in mid july a Surprise vote by the Senate armed services committee called for halting f-16 purchases by the end of 1991, closing the production line two years earlier than the Pentagon had asked. The Falcons Are still hot Export items even though earlier this year tiny stress cracks were discovered in some of the worlds Fleet. It was determined that some pilots had flown the agile fighters More aggressively than the planes were designed to be flown. Some Are still under repair. Now the major aircraft companies a including Boeing general dynamics Lockheed Ltd Grumman Mcdonnell aircraft Northrop and Rockwell a have been asked to respond by Jan. 15 to a a request Tor information issued by the air Force. They have been asked to explain How they would participate in an eventual Multi role fighter program. The air Force s aeronautical systems division has presented three options a new plane an upgraded f-16 or a derivative of an existing f-16 or f/a-18 Hornet strike fighter. But no decisions have been made by the air Force Over specifications or technologies a senior air Force official said. The big Issue is Money. According to the air Force a fighter to replace the f-16 must have a flyaway Cost of around $25 million per plane. By comparison the Pentagon s 1991 budget lists the current generation Small single engine f-16 at $18.4 million per plane. The twin engine twin tailed f/a-18 fighter attack plane is listed at $30.8 million per plane. Since a totally new fighter could mean an additional $7 billion for research and development the final decision May Well be a derivative fighter or an f-16 upgrade. The air Force is projecting a need for 2,0 m f-16 replacements a a number Large enough to help keep the lid on Price because of More efficient production the air Force Hopes. But that number could decrease. Since Early 91, the air Force has been operating on the goal of 26 tactical fighter wings by 1994, with about 40 percent or 2,000 planes to be f-16s. Most recently however the Pentagon has been studying options for even deeper Long term spending cuts than were already planned. These cuts affecting Basic programs for troops bases and weapons purchases could free up to $50 billion Over the next five years for use in Domestic programs. Under a comprehensive review ordered by defense Secretary Dick Cheney and Gen. Colin l. Powell the Pentagon budget could go Down to $240 billion or less. A total of $291 billion was just approved for the fiscal year that began oct. 1. The air Force May have to slash fighter wings to 20 from 36 now instead of 26. In that Case big ticket air Force programs such As the yf-22a advanced tactical fighter Jet a with its a Star wars electronics a could be cancelled or production schedules could be extended through fiscal 1997. The Cost of the yf-22a has been estimated at up to $108 million per plane. A it does no to take a rocket scientist to figure out that the political process is taking a look at the resources available and How to spend them a said one expert involved in the Pentagon review. In any Case general dynamics already has two teams working on a new Multi role aircraft. According to John bean general dynamics director of f-16 growth programs the design for a derivative fighter would Likely be a batwing Model similar to the f-117a stealth fighter. Mcdonnell Douglas which also has a team drawing plans for a Multi role fighter May also come up with an All Wing radar evading design. Besides stealth a batwing is highly efficient for carrying fuel and bombs Sci Suboc Rcd in the Wing. Their fighter would carry two advanced medium Range radar guided missiles two advanced infrared Short Range heat seeking missiles and a 25mm gun. It would also Likely have the modular avionics of the yf-22a fighter with ground based computer software that programs the plane for its various roles a for example air to ground missions or targeting enemy aircraft. But the air Force is being practical. It will not be Able to afford a new mull Irole fighter with the High technology of the yf-22a or even the i -ii7a, which costs about $50 million per plane. A i done to need a plane with All of the capability an i -22 can give me a the air Force official said. Two or More companies arc expected to win contract awards by january 1993. Jane defence wee-7
