ustxtxb_obs_1988_03_11_50_00003-00000_000.pdf

GEORGE BUSH faces serious challenges in his bid for the Presidency. One thing Republicans want to know is whether he would be likely to go soft on America’s enemies once he got in the White House. Republican contender Jack Kemp caught Bush in a soft moment in a recent debate. Bush got misty-eyed over the potential withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan and found himself saying “Let’s give peace a chance in Afghanistan.” Before you could say Exocet Missile, Kemp was exposing Bush’s underbelly. “That’s the same phrase Jim Wright used,” said Kemp, as Republicans in the audience shuddered. “You ought to be ashamed as a Republican to say ‘Give peace a chance!’ ” Certainly such spirited criticism is sharpening Bush’s Republican sensibilities, but a few more gaffes like this one could endanger his chances of becoming the party’s nominee. Since Bush has long been our favorite Republican, we offer ourselves as pro bono campaign consultants, motivated only by a desire to produce the purest possible Republican candidate for the race this fall. Here is some advice we would urge the Vice-President to heed: There are a number of other dangerous phrases you must steer clear of in the crucial months ahead. Of course, all Jim Wright/John Lennon quotes are to be avoided not just “Give peace a chance.” This would include such Wrightist/Lennonisms as those that fall under the general rubric of “Imagine” sentiments. \(“Imagine there’s no country the imagining to the Democrats. A similar sentiment is “All we need is love.” You ought to be ashamed as a Republican to say “All we need is love.” You must resist telling those who want to further the Reagan Revolution that they’d better free their minds instead. This sounds like something that would come right out of the mouth of Jim Wright. It almost goes without saying that “Make love, not war” is out of the question. This is un-Republican on two fronts. Besides the obvious problem that it does not show you to be strong on defense, it does not reflect pro-family values. In the case of American military conflict, you would not want to ask, as Jim Wright and Country Joe McDonald would, “One, two, three, four; what are we fighting for?” If a voter happened to ask how many deaths will it take before you know that too many people have died, avoid the flip response, “The answer is blowing in the wind.” As a Republican, you must know the answers. You must know what we are fighting for and how many deaths it will take. \(On the manhood thing: You must know how many roads a man must walk down before they call him a man. In your case, it would be a good idea to get out of the There are many other phrases akin to “Give peace a chance” that you must avoid. As a Republican, you do not want to say, “If I had a hammer, I’d hammer out justice.” You ought to be ashamed to say, “The times, they are a-changin’.” Republican parents do not want a candidate who uses such Wright/Dylan lines as, “Don’t criticize what you can’t understand.” Don’t slip up and ask, “Where have all the flowers gone?” Let the Democrats pander to the tree-huggers and the environmental patsies. Education is an important issue, but don’t use the phrase, “Teach your children well.” Dangerous secular humanism lurks just around the corner when the second verse advises kids to “teach your parents well.” This is against the God-given order of things. On the other side of secularism, however, Biblical quotations can be just as tricky in fact, the Bible is full of sayings a trueblue Republican would be ashamed of using. Avoid mentioning that the meek shall inherit the earth. This is not how American inheritance laws work. Worse than that, this phrase could easily be misconstrued as a prediction that the Democrats will win in November. Do not say the last shall be first and the first shall be last this is a statement unbecoming of a front-runner. In the current state of things it would put you behind Alexander Haig. Most important, don’t get caught saying, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” This is where you most seriously risk confusing the image of George Bush in the mind of the voter with the image of Jim Wright. If you would like to turn the phrase to your favor, you might win points in the Republican primary by saying “Blessed are the MX missiles.” This would show you to be the bH TE TEXAS server MARCH 11, 1988 VOLUME 80, No. 5 FEATURES South Texas Bound By Jane Juffer I Lives of the Maids By Debbie Nathan 11 Jim Wright, Nicaragua, and the War Powers Act By Bob Eckhardt DEPARTMENTS 13 Dialogue 2 Editorial 3 Journal 6 Political Intelligence 16 Social Cause Calender 22 Books and the Culture Energy and Eternal Delight By Michael King Common Sense Solution For Central America By John A. Booth 18 19 Afterword Roosevelt on the Beach By Louis Dubose 23 true heir to the Reagan movement. Not all song titles and ’60s sayings are off limits. You are safe with something in a Sly Stallone style, something like, “Feeling Strong Now.” This would work best with the early morning photo ops while you are jogging. Get back into the sweat suit and get that towel around your neck. A ’60s saying you might try, especially if someone asks whether you really expect to be President, is “You bet your sweet bippy.” You may be the only candidate who could sound natural using “You bet your sweet bippy.” But whatever you do, don’t forget the lesson you’ve learned on “Give peace a chance.” You musn’t be caught dead using that phrase again in this campaign, especially God knows if the subject turns to Nicaragua. D.D. EDITORIAL Give Bush a Chance THE TEXAS OBSERVER 3