European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 29, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday january 29, 1992 the stars and stripes commentary John Kin even Buchanan has joined Bush bashing craze what a difference plummeting poll numbers and a new year make. A year ago with America on the verge of War it was taboo to Bash president Bush. Even after the War Bush a stratospheric poll ratings kept critics quiet. But now with the presidents popularity slipping and election season approaching bashing Bush is an the rage. Not All of it is from democrats either. Bush a Republican challenger in new Hampshire conservative commentator Patrick j. Buchanan is piling it on As Well at times making the democrats sound tame. Bush is just getting his Campaign under Way so the rhetorical War Nas been virtually one sided to Date. A recent sampling a i think his head is fixed a Iowa sen. Tom Harkin tells audiences As he lobbies for votes in recession weary new Hampshire. A the has the same View of the country As Herbert Hoover a that the president can do nothing. Nice Guy Nice wife Nice dog but his head is  Arkansas gov. Bill Clinton thinks he can attract Republican and gop leaning Independent voters so he tries not to offend Many of them with virulent attacks on the president. He still sneaks in a shot every now and then. A a in be spent More than 10 years trying to be what president Bush Calls one of those thousand Points of Light a Clinton tells his audiences. A but a thousand Points of Light still leave you a lot of darkness if you ave no National vision no National strategy to get this country moving  most of the jokes told at Bush a expense were getting tired just about the time Bush headed off for his self desc bed a jobs jobs jobs trip to Japan. The tide turned fast. Most of the jokes about Bush a affluent background gave Way to barbs that the president was a lowly beggar. A George Bush is in Japan begging them to wait another seven Days before they take us Over a was a favorite line of former Massachusetts sen. Paul Tsongas during the Bush trip. The democratic presidential candidate said Bush a humiliated America. Nebraska sen. Bob Kerrey said Bush strip to Japan had added a new a Al word to the american political lexicon. In 1988, Bush used the term against democratic nominee Michael Dukakis to stand for Liberal. A the new Al word is a loser a a Kerrey said accusing Bush of surrendering americans Economy to the whims of the japanese. 1-800 driest 1-800-mr Deb 1-000-Momme 1000-Jupiter 1-000-Gulf War 1900-not Mike 1000 can aa0 1 0oo-Kkknazi % Tae a teat Eft Tai time Tenc axe 4e zoo numb 6it Teft Ltd adding to the anti Bush chorus is Buchanan. A a they be struggled in depression for three years a Buchanan says of new Hampshire voters. A and the resident he broke his Promise not to raise taxes and e does no to  e democrats trying to pin the anaemic Economy on Bush get help galore from Buchanan who cannot Complete a speech without criticizing a emr. Bush a recession. C the associated press Scott Shepard character cops in Media grind Rumor Mill psst you be heard about his mistress Haven to you Bill Clinton a no George Bush a. That show it went in 1988 when Bush then vice president was seeking the Republican presidential nomination. Reporters covering his Campaign were bombarded with rumours that Bush was an adulterer. This election Cycle it is Clinton the Arkansas governor who has charged to the head of the democratic presidential pack and who is the subject of such rumours. The whispers Are renewing the debate Over How deeply the news Media should probe the private lives of candidates. Moreover the rumours about Clinton Are forcing news organizations to examine whether they should even be in the business of reporting rumours something that just Wasny to done not too Long ago. As campaigns have come to rely More on personal image and values to sell a candidate the press has taken on the role of a character cop a analysing the images and the values to determine the candidates fitness for office. That has meant chasing Down every Rumor of infidelity substance abuse plagiarism or whatever else might be construed As evidence of a flawed character. In such an environment rumours themselves have become political developments and thus a subject worthy of reporting. That show the Rumor about Bush shaving a mistress ended up As a a a Periscope item in Newsweek in 1988, eventually spawning new rumours of an imminent Washington Post exposed of Bush that caused the Stock Market to plunge. And that a Why Clinton and his wife Hillary have in recent Days been peppered by questions from reporters about unsubstantiated rumours of extramarital affairs by the governor. Such rumours hounded Gary Hart who tried to Stop them in 1988 by telling the Media he had been faithful and dared reporters to prove any infidelities. The Miami Herald took the dare and found Hart at his Capitol Hill town House one night with Donna Rice. That ended Harts chances of Ever becoming president. Was the stakeout of Hart justified it certainty raised questions about Harts judgment and credibility. To some political observers it is obvious that a candidate who cannot keep his marital vows cannot be trusted to fulfil his Campaign promises. But newsroom attitudes about the a character issues Are changing. A we Are fascinated by scandal and confrontation that a True but so is our audience a said Jack Nelson Washington Bureau chief of the los Angeles times. A but most of the establishment press is a Little sick and tired of digging into somebody a past sexual acts or some other very personal part of their background. A a we be come to realize that that kind of reporting although sometimes fully justified As in the Case of Gary Hart is generally dist Active from the real issues of the  Larry Sabato a University of Virginia political science professor and author of feeding frenzy. Book about the news Media a taste for scandal wants an end to news reports about unsubstantiated rumours. A on the other hand a Sabato said a i Hope the press will never return to its disgraceful Era of Lap dog journalism when it would allow a John Kennedy to get away with the sorts of things that he got away  is there a Middle ground Sabato thinks so. He argues that reporters should Grant candidates a a reasonable zone of privacy and a refuse the temptation to succumb to lowest common denominator  by this he Means not letting the medium with the lowest Standard set the Standard for All news organizations. This is already happening in the 1992 Campaign As tabloid accounts about Clinton a alleged affairs Are Given Broad circulation among voters by major newspapers and television networks. Sabato also urges news organizations to place Quot More emphasis on exposing the re mor mongers a particularly when they work for rival campaigns. That a not As easy As it sounds Given the competitive nature of the Media and what Sabato describes As the a a sweetheart relationship Between reporters and Campaign consultants who Are often the source of rumours. In the feb. 3 Issue of the new Republic for example columnist Morton Kondracke discloses that a ranking aides to a rival candidate Are spreading rumours a utterly unsubstantiated a that Clinton is currently involved with women other than his  then Kondracke argues that a candidate who spreads rumours a with utter disregard for the truth should be a exposed for that  he adds a making the sources of falsehood answer for their own actions would do much to encourage a loftier focus for this years  but when asked to identify the Campaign that is spreading these rumours about Clinton Kondracke declined to do so. C Cox nows service