European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 22, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I. Saturday january 22, 1994 commentary the stars and stripes Page 13 \ ,. " Inman s outrage takes on an air of mystery Mike Feinsilber for an hour Bobby Ray Inman offered a monologue explaining Why he did t want to become defense Secretary after All. But the longer he talked the harder it was to Nail Down his reason. He surprised Washington a month ago by taking the Job and mystified washing ton on tuesday by changing his mind. He said he did t like the certain degree of spin in an Edito rial cartoon from the pointed pen of the venerated Herb lock in the Washington Post. It had poked fun at him Pray. Ing in the Rose Garden that he needed a level of com fort with Clinton before taking the Job. Herb lock compared Inman to George b. Mcclellan Lincoln s erratic civil War general who hated Battle. Inman said he did t like a column by the Boston Globe s Ellen Goodman or the new York times Anthony Lewis and most decidedly he did t like the harshly critical columns of the times William Safire he thought Senate re publican Leader Bob dote had entered into a conspiracy with Safire to get him. All this he labelled modern Mccarth  "., i m simply not prepared to pay the cur rent Cost of Public service in distortion of my record he said while acknowledging that his nomination had received an Overall favourable reception in Washington. Com shared to Many it was a Coronation. His con ration he acknowledged was seen As a shoo in. Inman s performance tuesday in an Austin Texas hotel ballroom carried by television was one of those news conferences that Are Apt to be remembered for years. It May rank with Richard Nixon s