14
Viewpoint
The Battalion
Texas A&M University
Tuesday
August 5, 1980
Slouch
by Jim Earle ‘Mo Mentum’ is coming bad
by DICK WEST
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Now that George Bush
has returned to the campaign trail as the
Republican vice presidential candidate, voters
everywhere are wondering whether Mo Men
tum also can make a political comeback.
For awhile it appeared “Big Mo” had made
the fatal mistake of backing the wrong man.
Anyone who was paying attention during
the early stages of the 1980 campaign is aware
that Bush originally started out as a candidate
for the top job. In that capacity he was wont to
claim that Mo Mentum was on his side. He
even used the intimate diminutive “Big Mo.”
But it was more like being in cahoots with “Slo
Mo.”
Despite Bush’s claim to have picked up Mo
Mentum, it was Ronald Reagan who kept
winning the primaries. Television analysts
began suggesting that Mo Mentum wasn’t all
that important. If Reagan could win so handily
without “Big Mo” behind him you had to
question whether Mo Mentum would ever
again be a political force worth cultivating.
That sort of talk, it now appears, may have
been badly off base.
I am told by experts who were on the scene
at the Republican convention that “Big Mo”
was instrumental in landing second prize for
Bush. What happened to put Mo Mentum
back into the campaign picture after he was all
but counted out?
Look, if I could answer questions like that I
would be knocking down half a mil or so a year
as a television analyst.
All I can tell you is that on that fateful night
in Detroit when the television analysts were so
astutely assigning the vice presidential nomi
nation to Gerald Ford, “Big Mo” was there
waiting in the wings biding his time. Then,
when he saw the iron was hot, he struck.
“If you want Mo Mentum behind you when
you go up against Jimmy Carter, you will have
to ditch Ford and put my boy Georgei
ticket,” he told Reagan’s men. Andtlie^j
history.
Such loyalty, if that was what it i
exceedingly rare. In previous campaipj
Mentum has been the supreme praga
shifting sides and changing directions!
drop of a whim.
We all remember the 1976 cai
Carter emerged from the Democratico
tion with “Big Mo” solidly behind him S
election time, it was Ford who had Mi
turn going for him.
Did Bush make any unusual concessii
keep Mo Mentum with him during!
presidential maneuvering? Did he in!
offer to make "Big Mo” a co-veep?
Not being a television analyst, 1 cai
you the inside story. But if the
win in November and you see I
ceremonial ribbons with Mo Mentum,j
bet there was some kind of a deal.
IlL'Er
8-1-30
‘Have you seen my armadillo?’
Social Security Admin..
Billy gate, Watergate
cases not comparable
by HELEN THOMAS
United Press International
WASHINGTON — Will “Billygate” be Jim
my Carter’s undoing?
Some Republicans say Billy Carter’s monied
flirtation with the Libyans is akin to the
Watergate scandal which brought down
Richard Nixon.
: Whatever it is — and a special Seriate
comrhittee aims to find out — the investigation
of Billy’s Tripoli connection has put his brother
the president in a political hotspot.
It has given Jimmy Carter’s old enemies —
and sometime friends — among the Demo
cratic ranks an excuse to jump ship. It also has
caused the president enormous personal prob
lems at a time when he had expected to gear
up for a tough campaign against Republican
candidate Ronald Reagan.
No doubt the Billy Carter inquiry has given
supporters of Sen. Edward Kennedy a new
lease on life with their calls for an open
convention.
But the president’s political strategists do
not believe the dump Carter movement will
succeed and feel there will be little slippage
among the delegates Carter won in the
primaries.
The president’s relationship with his
brother is personal and complex. It has also
become embarrassing and in some ways an
albatross. But from past observations it is not
expected that Carter will repudiate his baby
brother although he may admit errors in
judgment — perhaps faulty decisions — but
no wrongdoing.
White House aides are leaving it up to the
imagination of reporters what Carter is saying
privately about the matter. Obviously angry,
Rosalynn Carter put it succinctly saying, “I
have no comment to make publicly” about
Billy.
“It’s one thing if we got a brother — out
here a boob — making an embarrassment of
himself causing embarrassment to the presi
dent. We can all sympathize with that I think,”
said Sen. Birch Bayh, D-Ind., chairman of the
special Senate committee.
“It’s another if he has in some way or other
influenced the course of government. That is a
serious problem if it happened. We have no
evidence of that now.”
Believing this too shall pass White House
press secretary Jody Powell says the president
“obviously is concerned about all of this.”
“But he has a very strong feeling that he and
the White House have behaved properly in
the matter. . . which doesn’t mean it’s not
possible to question this or that decision. He’s
confident that full public disclosure will show
that,” Powell said.
Powell also contends Washington still suf
fers from a “post-Watergate syndrome.”
“People in Washington and on Capitol Hill
are reliving in many ways things that hap
pened before we got here” he said. “Both
Congress'. a^d the press have bben burflifed
because they believed what a presidenttsai^.”
He believes that members of Congress ^are
reluctant to go out on a limb” and support the
president for fear of “having the rug pulled out
from them,” particularly since many are run
ning for reelection.
Ever since the days his brother first ran for
president, the spotlight has been on Billy
Carter, who up to then was going about his life
in Plains minding his own business.
Colorful, wisecracking and good-hearted.
Billy has been caught up in the aura and
captured national attention. There were those
who chose to exploit him as a legitimate
redneck and there was perhaps his own desire
to make a fast buck.
It is difficult for him to fathom the ramifica
tions of his actions and the political damage it
may have caused the president.
He does not believe he did anything wrong.
He believes the $220,000 loan from the Libyan
government was an act of friendship. He
resisted registering as a foreign agent for Libya
but was convinced by his lawyers, and prob
ably the president, that he should do so.
Justice Department knowlege of the pay
ments was probably the most telling point in
persuading him to register.
But both Billy and the White House insist
that he never lobbied for the Libyans. Nor,
they say, did he try to free for them the planes
they purchased in the United States. The
delivery of all but three of them has been
blocked because the United States believes
they may be used for terrorism by the radical
Libyan government.
Billy Carter’s appearance at the hearings
may have tragic and comic overtones. He
speaks his mind, much in the manner of his
mother, Miss Lillian.
Certainly he is never dull.
There is some pathos about his position.
Will it be a three-ring circus or a sedate
inquiry?
Washington observers who watched the
unraveling of the Watergate scandal believe
the Billy Carter case is not comparable.
The main difference they say is that Billy’s
brother has not tried to subvert the Constitu
tion, as was the case with Richard Nixon.
Rear Mr America.
Everyone ch&in letters ftwn
time to time, butthis is i£t your staivW
Chain letter.... This one mllywbrks.
Ancl it's 100% le^al. Hot only that, but
this chain letter is guaranteed to start
paying you money when you retire,
yfe promise.
Here's all you do; Every year you
and your employer each put at most
#1975.00 into an envelope and mail
it to us at ^
Nh
killed
watchi
- Two A
with C;
i Gile
studen
acader
time 1
Held 1
1 Silvi
It’s Your Turn
lun y
Traditions should be told to visitors F
f—
Carlin praised
Editor:
To whom it may concern: Whoever is re
sponsible for the coordination of conventions
and conferences at this University during the
summer is not performing his/her job effec
tively. Part of his/her responsibility is to orient
visitors with regard to the traditions and/or
norms associated with the school.
During the past week, the firefighter’s con
ference proved that many are ignorant of
school policies concerning the wearing of hats
within the MSC and the lying upon or sitting
upon the grass around the MSC and Rudder
areas. I know I mentioned (politely and re
spectfully) our policies concerning these two
supposed reversed aspects of Aggie traditions.
Most were more than willing to accommodate
my wishes on both issues, and remarked that
they knew nothing about these practices. My
question is, “Why not?” I can only remark that
someone blew it. This is especially true for the
orientation of new students.
This letter is in no way a criticism to the
firefighters or soon-to-be students themselves,
for they can easily plead ignorance. However,
this statement is a criticism of those who are
unable to communicate our traditions to other,
primarily because it is their job to do so.
Mark W. Shomaker ’81
Editor:
I picked up another Tuesday afternoon
Battalion only to see a picture of George Carlin
on the front page. Unfortunately, I missed the
concert because I had to work and had an exam
to study for that night.
George Carlin is a favorite and one that can
always make you appreciate things in life that
happen to everyone, yet aren’t given time to
be appreciated. Upset about missingtkf j
cert, I turned to page 3 to read the revifj#"TH
I must commend Scot K. Meyer oi
review, as he put such a spark of Carlin ij
giggled all the way through and I
could see George talking about the way
krispies float in milk.
Thanks Joe Monroe, for hiring Ge!
thanks George Carlin, for awakening our]
eyes; and thanks Scot K. Meyer, for
me to enjoy George — even throughare«
Mia Zwolinsl
Correction
A cutline on page 1 of Thursday’s Battalion
contained some incorrect information. The
dog pictured in the Chemistry Building foun
tain is a Norwegian Elkhound named Balaena,
belonging to biology senior Hoffman Marett.
The Battalion regrets the error.
Warped
by Scott McCulIar
HU/AM... vou ttUST HAVE HAP A
SAP weeke/vd. l can see. that
you PXD/V'r SET MUCH SLEEP
AWD WEREW'r TO CONSCIOUS op
WHAT YOU WERE DOI/VG THI5
HORNING.
1
OKAY SHERLOCK, X HATE TO
ASK, BUT HOW PO YOU KlVow?
HOW DID YOU PEDUCE?
\
WELL, FOR ONE THI/VG, YOU'RE
WEARING PILLOW-CASES IN
your shoes instead of
SOCKS THIS horning.
I thought THEY WERE SORTA
LOOSE. - FITTING ...
/ . •
• '• V
The Battalion
U S P S 045 360
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor Dillard Stone
City Editor Becky Swanson
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News Editor Lynn Blanco
Staff Writers Uschi Michel-Howell,
Debbie Nelson, Cathy Saathoff,
Scot K. Meyer
Photo Editor Janet Golub
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