European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 10, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Anti stripes vol. 53, no. 207 party 500 thursday november 10,1994 d 8693 a election voter exit pos showed an increased identification with republicans since 1990. 1994republican 33% 36% Democrat 38% 36% Independent 28% 28%  -. W. Clinton accepts blame for debacle  is Washington a a solemn president Clinton said wednesday he accepted a share of the responsibility Tor the democratic debacle in the midterm elections and has asked Republican Lead ers of the next Congress for a fresh bipartisan Start. Vav  saddened yet defiant Clinton said he would oppose any proposals that would stall the economic recovery and take us Back to the policies that failed us before a revival of his Campaign complaint that republicans wanted to revive reaganomics. And he said he would strongly object if republicans tried to repeal the assault weapons Bah or the Brady Bill handgun control Law. Over and Over Clinton said he accepted blame for his party s losses though he also repeatedly said he did not think voters were giving him the credit he deserved. They sent us a Clear message r i got it he said. Included in the mis Sive he said was a demand that Washington Reform the Way it does business from lobbying Reform to making Congress abide by the Laws it imposes on  Are in the Middle of a revolution Here Clinton said. The government instill behind the eight Ball and we arc going to have to keep pushing until the american people believe they have a government thai works for  pledged to push ahead with welfare Reform health care Reform and other see Clinton on Page 9 overtures follow gop win in a Telephone Call wednesday sen. Bob Dole of Kansas tells president Clinton he wants to work together with the White House parties face necessity of cooperating Washington a Republican leaders pledged wednesday to make Good on their promises to Cut taxes and reduce government As they took control of Congress for the first time since the 1950s. The outcome posed a major midterm Challenge for president Clinton both on Domestic and foreign policy issues and in his efforts to get re elected in 1996. Two years after Clinton took office his democratic party suffered wholesale repudiation. The president s top advisers acknowledged that he would have to trim his Agenda and try to work with the re publicans who firmly control a More conservative Congress. We re laying the groundwork for reaching out said Leon Panetta White House chief of staff. Clinton will push legislative themes that already have bipartisan support including deficit reduction Panetta said. The democratic losses extended to see gop on Page 11 Dod uni by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington political Chest beating aside tuesday s Republican landslide is unlikely to have much Impact on defense spending or priorities. With current deficit reduction Laws clamping Down on new spending and Vot ers raging against higher taxes analysts see and or changes say any shake  in the Pentagon s cur rent course probably will amount to Nomore than minor tremors. Although Republican Calls for shoring up defense spending have grown As contingency operations have stretched the declining Force Structure gop leaders have produced few details on How they would even find More Money for defense much less on How they would spend it. It s a problem of political will said Carol Lessure legislative analyst for the defense budget project a nonpartisan organization that tracks defense spending trends. Lessure said the republicans con tract with America a Broad legislative see changes on Page 9 troops reactions pm a h governors races -pgi4 Fly Senate races pig 12-13 House races -p�ge15 a propositions -pgi7 b Star candidates May s Friendly fire hearing concludes capt. Eric a. Wickson Sembach a Germany is air Force it. Col. Randy w. May s article 32 hear ing concluded wednesday after a Brief session in which an f-15 Pilot was recalled to answer More questions about the april 14 Friendly fire incident Over Iraq that killed 26 people. Capt. Eric a. Wickson spent about an hour testifying before col. Edward m. Starr the article 32 investigating officer said capt. Earl Martin May s Lead defense counsel. Starr is considering evidence that could Lead to a court martial against May. Wickson and May Are f-15 pilots based at Span Dahlem a with the 53rd fighter so. Wickson and May were flying in a two air Craft formation Over the no Fly zone in North Ern Iraq last Spring when they mistakenly shot Down two . Army Black Hawk Heli copters believing they were two iraqi Hind copters. Twenty six peo pfc including 15 americans were killed. Starr concluded the closed door Legal proceeding which is similar to a grand jury hear ing and stated that he was finished with the evidentiary phase of his investigation Martin said. Starr must submit a report on the hear ing and make a recommendation to a Gen. Eugene a Santarelli the 17th air Force commander on whether the Case should go to trial. There is no deadline for Starr to finish his re port and Santarelli is not bound by Starr s recommendation. Although Wickson was the Lead Pilot and the first to launch his missile the air Force granted him testimonial immunity so that he could testify at May s hearing and at another held last month at tinker fab okla. That hearing involved five Crew members of an airborne warning and control system plane that was monitoring the no Fly zone during the Downing. The results of that hearing have not been disclosed