European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 17, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday March 17, 1992 the stars and stripes Page 13 commentary William f. Buckley Summers in Maine but Bush is a real texan it being the season to be merry at the expense of George Bush he is now being attacked As an ersatz texan. Texas columnist comedienne Molly Ivins put it this wave there Are certain minimal standards for citizenship a real texans do not use the word summer As a verb. Real texans do not Wear Blue Slacks with Little Green whales All Over them. And real texans never refer to trouble As a deep a if Pat Buchanan mutates Mut Andis had said the same kind of thing of say first generation americans a real americans done to a put a Vowel in a front a every word head have been in deep Doo Doo with the italian american anti defamation league and i suspect even with the governor of Texas who publicly charged at the democratic convention that George Bush was born with a Silver foot in his Mouth. The cultural Point is one thing. It is probably As True that someone raised in Connecticut who went to schools in Massachusetts and Connecticut does no to sound entirely natural when attending a Barbecue in Texas As it is that a texan born bred and schooled in Texas does no to melt in with the furniture at the metropolitan club quite As naturally As a new englander. So the answer to that question is quite simple so what it is the distinctive stamp of America that people from every Comer of the country can and do move to opposite Corners of the country or perhaps Stop and take roots Halfway and whatever the residual cultural or linguistic incongruities they become As legitimately a resident of their new state As Michigan Ite Tom Dewey became a new yorker or midwesterner Ronald Reagan a californian. The critics go further to amuse themselves by citing Bush a homelessness in the state of Texas. The Story is As follows nobody denies that in 1948, George and Barbara Bush left Connecticut and went to Odessa Texas to begin a career in the Oil business and nobody doubts that he lived in Texas for 33 years. In 1966, he was elected to Congress. After his defeat in a race for the Senate he was successively our ambassador to the United nations head of the Republican party head of the Cia and ambassador to China. Throughout that period he maintained his five bedroom House in Houston. In 1980, he was elected vice president. This was the 15th year his professional duties kept him from prolonged Resi Dence in Texas so he resolved to buy from his aunt a Large summer House in Maine. Why Maine Well who in search of a summer place goes to Texas to find one Summers Bear in mind Are when in Washington the politicians go Home for vacations. Now contrary to widespread misinformation George Bush is not certainly by Texas standards a very wealthy Man. So in order to buy his House in Maine he sold his House in Houston so Long Unten anted in any serious Way because of his prolonged absences. At that Point he put in to become a Maine resident defined Here As having his principal residence in Maine. This would have allowed him under the internal Revenue code to apply the substantial capital gains on his Houston House to the Maine House. But of no ruled the irs in 1984, Maine Wasny this principal residence Washington was. Of so if Washington was his principal residence then Maine was not and he need not pay Maine income taxes. So or. Bush decided he would hang on to his 33-Earold texan citizenship. But he did no to ave to buy a House to do that. A he needed was an address in Texas he chose a hotel in Houston and a letter to the Texas state comptroller declaring his intention to make Texas his principal residence when he retired. Texas has no income taxes and is entirely willing to declare you a citizen of Texas if you furnish such an affidavit of intention which is certainly plausible when filed by a Man who lived there most of his adult life and was elected to Congress by texans who weren to at All put off by his accent or by his Blue Slacks with ittle Green whales. With the result that or. Bush paid no state income tax traceable to his House in Maine. No less August a body than the irs had declared that he was not a legitimate resident of Maine. So what do the democrats want Bush to do make a gift to the state of Maine of the $30,000 in taxes he would need to pay if he were a resident there or a similar gift to the District of Columbia for the Nell of it Well he gives More than twice that sum of Money As gifts to charities. So get mad at George Bush because he Hasni to done enough about Ozone or aids or Saddam Hussein but retire this one of Molly c Fri Versal press Syndicate Anthony . Backed Saddam right up to Gulf War it Addam reacts to the possibility of a new . Attack. a Bunker menu for March and p05s1biy the better part of april. A year after the persian Gulf War iraqi president Saddam Hussein remains a menace evading . Orders to destroy his nuclear and missile manufacturing plants. President Bush has hinted at renewed military action if the evasion goes on. There could be a june Surprise. With All that was and still is at stake in Iraq Congress has been surprisingly slow to look into past american policy. What was the United states doing while the iraqi dictator was growing into such a menace in the absence of serious congressional inquiry the answer to that question has begun to emerge in the press. It is a shocking answer the United states was feeding Saddam a War machine and his ambition. That is the consistent theme of reports in the Washington Post in the new York times in a january piece by Seymour Hersh and in a series by Murray Waas and Douglas Frantz in the los Angeles times Over the last month. These Are some of the important . Policy decisions they found in 1982 the Reagan administration wanting to prevent Saddam a defeat in the War with Iran decided to provide him with secret intelligence. The intelligence Elped Iraq learn the disposition of iranian forces. The administration also allowed iraqis regional allies which at the time included saudi Arabia Kuwait and Jordan to Send american made arms to Baghdad. Among the weapons supplied were thousands of Tow anti tank missiles Huey helicopters Small arms and mortars. In the same year the state department removed Iraq from the official list of terrorist countries thereby making it eligible for . Aid. In fact Saddam continued to Harbor terrorists and we knew it. The United states immediately began giving Iraq guarantees for credit to buy american farm products. Farm and other credits for Iraq eventually came to $3 billion a no doubt freeing Saddam to spend Money on arms. The los Angeles times stories described George Bush As playing a leading part in pressing . Support for Iraq Over the next years acting first As vice president. In june 1984 vice president Bush telephoned the president of the Export import Bank to urge approval of a $500 million loan guarantee for Iraq to build an Oil pipeline. The Bank which had been reluctant approved the Deal. In february 1987 vice president Bush telephoned the Bank a president to press for $200 million in loan guarantees. Economists warned its officials that Iraq could not repay the Loans but the Bank approved the guarantees. In March 1987 the Commerce department approved Export licenses for shipment to Iraq of dual use technology useful for scientific or military purposes. Over the next few years exports of this kind totalled $600 million and much of the equipment May have gone into Aerial spying and other military uses. In August 1988 a cease fire ended the Iran Iraq War. But the american tilt toward Iraq continued. Some intelligence was being provided As late As May 1990. In 1989 Bush now president signed a National Security order directing government agencies to improve ties with Iraq. In october 1989 Secretary of state James a. Baker Iii telephoned Secretary of agriculture Clayton Yeut Ter Ana urged him to approve $1 billion in new loan guarantees to Iraq despite fears that the credits were being misused. In november Yeutter approved the guarantees. In january 1990 president Bush signed an executive order finding that it would not be a in the National interest for the Export import Bank to Stop loan guarantees to Iraq. In april and again in june 1990 the Commerce department proposed restrictions on High technology exports to Iraq. An inter Agency group chaired by Robert m. Gates then Deputy National Security adviser to Bush rejected the proposals. In july 1990 the Senate voted overwhelmingly to Cut off loan guarantees to Iraq because of Saddam a human rights violations including the gassing of a kurdish Village. The administration condemned the vote. On july 31, 1990, with 100,000 iraqi troops massed at the Kuwait Border assistant Secretary of state John Kelly went to Capitol Hill and testified against ending loan guarantees to Iraq. On aug. 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Catho Ukia scr fur is
