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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 1981)
I i ' I I I \ I — The Battalion Slouch By Jim Earle Reagan needs practice for press conferences By DAVID S. BRODER WASHINGTON — President Reagan asked reporters at his news conference last week to remember that the words they write are read all around the world and to consider whether the message they send is helpful or destructive to the nation’s in terests. Whatever you think of that plea, the fact is that the most important message is the one the President himsilf conveys by his words and demeanor on public occasions. For the most part, those appearances have been helpful to Reagan in advancing his goals. His wit, his good nature and his re hearsed eloquence stand him in good stead, whether he is delivering a toast at a ban quet, a brief political speech or a televised policy address. But at the last two news conferences, the impression he has created has been one of a man under great strain. The comments on Capitol Hill and in embassies suggest that the tension and anxiety the President dis- I plays when answering questions about his policies are beginning to cause concern among those here and abroad who look to the White House for leadership. That same anxiety is being expressed by members of the White House staff who have come to view each press conference as a hurdle that must be negotiated with care. They have adopted what my colleague Mar tin Schram accurately describes as a “dam age-control’ philosophy for dealing with the press conferences: Schedule them in frequently, slow down the pace of question ing by lengthy answers, and hope that Reagan gets out of them without hurting himself. That is a defensible, if obviously defen sive, strategy. The practical problem is that the President is so strained in executing it — that he undercuts the effort to build confidence in his leadership. The relaxed sense of command and self-control that he communicated so advantageously in his 1980 campaign debates and in almost every formal speech he has made as President turns into a very tentative and tense per formance in the press conferences. Explanations abound. Some say the Pres ident’s hearing impairment forces him to strain to hear the questions and puts him on edge even before he gives his answers. His aides have tried to reduce this problem by installing an amplifier in his podium. His critics put forward a much harsher theory: Reagan is under strain because he has such a shaky grasp of the policies for which he is formally responsible that he has a dickens of a time remembering what it is that he is supposed to say about such-and- such a subject. If that is right, then we are really in trou ble — not just this administration but this country and the world. But before accept ing that gloomy conclusion, I would like to see how Reagan would do if he were hold ing a press conference of some kind every week. He did that when he was governor. But as President, he has held five news confer ences in 10 months. The Reagan we have seen at the last cou ple of news conferences reminds me of the uptight, unhappy Reagan of the Iowa causus period early in 1980, when his then- manager, John P. Sears, was trying to shield him from the press and public. When Reagan campaigned infrequently, under Sears’ constraints, he was a lousy campaig ner — always on the defensive. When he was unleashed in New Hampshire, he was terrific. So it is, I suspect, with the news confer ences. People like my colleague Lou Can non who covered him in California remem ber those gubernatorial news conferences, not as ordeals to which Reagan submitted, but as opportunities which he exploited easily to carry his message to the people. Maybe he’s lost the knack, now that he is ten years older. But my guess is that he’s just not getting enough practice to feel com fortable in the news conference format. If he had a regular schedule where on alter nating weeks he would have big televised news conferences and small Oval Office in terviews with some of the White House regulars, my guess is that he would be bet ter briefed by his staff on a wide range of issues, and much better prepared to discuss them. The Battalion USPS 045 360 MEMBER Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Congress Editor Angelique Copeland Managing Editor Marcy Boyce City Editor . . . JaneG. Brust Asst. City Editor Kathy O’Connell Photo Editor Dave Einsel Sports Editor Ritchie Priddy Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff Asst. Focus Editor Debbie Nelson News Editors Phyllis Henderson Bernie Fette, Belinda McCoy Diana Sultenfuss Staff’” ■' . r ' - ker i. iciiiR xj. ionicixciiic.^ cements Gaye Denley, Nancy Floeck, Tim Foarde Colette Hutchings, Daniel Puckett Denise Richter, Mary Jo Rummel, Rick Stolle Nancy Weatherley, Barbie Woelfel Cartoonist Scott McCullar Graphic Artist Richard DeLeon Jr. Photographers Rose Delano Daniel Sanders, Colin Valentine, Greg Watermann EDITORIAL POLICY The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting newspaper operated as a community service to Texas A&M University and Bryan-College Station. Opinions expressed in The Bat talion are those of the editor or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M Universi ty administrators or faculty members, or of the Board of Begents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students in reporting, editing and photography classes within the Department of Communications. Questions or comments concerning any editorial matter should be directed to the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length, and are subject to being cut if they are longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must also be signed, show the address and phone number of the writer. Columns and guest editorials are also welcome, and are not subieot to the same length constraints as letters. Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. The Battalion is published daily during Texas A&M’s fall and spring semesters, except for holiday and examination periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Build ing, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. United Press International is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. ’ November 23, 1981 At these prices, what were yo expecting E.F. Hutton? By DICK WEST United Press International WASHINGTON — Economics is truly a living science, constantly evolving into new theories and enriching our language with new terminology. We are all indebted to Budget Director David Stockman for pointing out some of the latest trends. As we learned from an article about Stockman in The Atlantic Monthly, econo mics recently has progressed from the “trickle down’’ theory to the “supply side” theory and is now entering the “Trojan horse” era. Sometimes, these theories modulate too fast for me to follow. Head swimming with uncomprehended commentary in the Stockman article, I got in touch with John Kenneth Turnipblood, guru of the voodoo school of economics, and requested eluci dation on the Trojan horse concept. “What sort of gratuities do you proffer to show your appreciation for interviews?” Turnipblood inquired. “It varies, ” I replied, “but the going rate is $1.79.” Turnipblood said $1.79 would make him feel appropriately appreciated, so we pro ceeded to the q. and a. The Trojan horse theory, as Turnipblood explained it, is based on the premise that if the government increases defense spend ing while simultaneously cutting taxes, a balanced budget will result. The name, as you might have surmised, was derived from a new type of weapon system the Pentagon wants to develop. Everyone, by now, is familiar with the flap over the MX missile program. Deep down, the Pentagon had its heart set on mounting the missiles on tracks and moving them around so the Russians wouldn’t know for sure where they were. The president, however, opted for put ting the first MX models in existing missile silos reinforced to make them harder to destroy through the window of vulnera bility. According to Turnipblood, yet another alternative under consideration would base the MX missiles in Trojan horses. The bases, being mobile, could be led about from one ranch to another, would have missiles inside, and would not. In theory, this system would ft Soviets into aiming their missiles at Trojan horses, thus weakening their strike” capability. “It’s a beautiful compromise,”Ti lood said. “The equine nature of the would make them more acceptable to ern states that objected to the original] ing mode.” “How much would this system asked. “It depends on the overrun,’ Ti lood replied, “but military sources a.« me a herd of Trojan horses withm capacity, coupled with tax cuts al scheduled, should he enough to put federal budget well in the black byFi 2024, if not sooner.” Other economists, I’m sure, willpj holes in the Turnipblood interpretali On balance, though, he gave aboutas an interview as you can get these dan $1.79. k\- .."OBSOLETE ?! THIS BABY IS tK CLASSIC!!! A It s your turn jt\I Uni Kents s< |versy. ] 'as whe not \ twas g When npletec “Agg oss the The m annex its whi dent v lion U ludes t The m ed by f ions C as Cl ‘eed tin ce, but out a me the OW col] 'ognize iversit) Howev iher linn an Mail can mean a lot at Christmas M Editor: As Christmas draws near, I have sad memories of the lonely Cl’s I used to see in Korea. The look on their faces as they walked away from empty mailboxes is hard to forget. Whether it’s their first time away from home or if they ’ve been in the military for a long time it’s hard to be in a strange place away from friends and family for Christmas. In order to help brighten the days of these people, a program called Armed Forces Mail Call was set up. The Battalion ran a story on it a while back. From what I’ve heard, the response has been small, if non existant. Clements Hall is going to send a box of letters to this program. I would like to in vite everyone else in joining us in the worthwhile cause. Please take the short amount of time needed to cheer up these people who are serving our country. Please bring the letters and 15 cents per letter for the postage charge to Room 309 or 423 Cle ments or mail them to: Armed Forces Mail Call Box 6210 Fort Bliss, TX 79906-0210 Include your return address inside the letter. Thank you for helping us in this good cause. Susan Murray Fish Rep., Clements Hall Towing unnecessary Editor: I would like to express my concern over the fact that the University Police depart ment feels that one unpaid parking ticket is grounds for a car being towed off. Does the fearless pen-wielding police department of Texas A&M University feel that one unpaid parking ticket is a serious threat to law and order? If the case were for several tickets or for tickets issued to motorists using the handicapped spaces around campus, then a possibly serious attitude might need being used. However, a single ticket issued at 7:45 a.m. in parking lot 40 near the Duncan Intramural Fields on a Thursday does not pose a major threat to anyone except the ego of the notorious police department. I feel that the campus police often enough over extend their authority and should not be concerned considering their ability to block registration, grades, and in some cases attendance. In my opinion this shows the insecurity of the police department. Douglas Giraud ‘84 Editor’s note: This letter was accompanied by nine other signatures. Greeks problem at t.u. them. One of the previous letters in Battalion mentioning the greeks stated! the place to be is off campus, but we do off campus and we are still affected them. It is obvious to new students at U.T if they are not members of a fraternit) sorority then they might as well no! there. We recognize the value of $ organizations that promote brother^ and involvement, and the Greeks origin meant to do just that, but they have tin out to be one of the biggest symbol hypocricy. The Greeks are snobl spoiled, over-dressed group that have thing better to do than drive their loud and look down their noses at others dare to be different. We strongly urge to Ags to learn U.T.’s mistake. Down with Greeksai with unity. Alicia Old] Melissa Hep| The University of W No cheerleaders Editor: We are students at the University of Texas, or t.u. as we are sometimes referred to. Since our enrollment at Texas, we have become aware of a problem that concerns our university and now seems to be a topic of debate on yours. We refer to the growth and recognition of fraternities and soror ities. We have visited the Texas A&M campus and it is apparent that it is a friendly and involved campus. We understand this friendliness is about to be threatened by the addition of fraternities, and we also suggest strongly that you remain firmly against Editor: We,’the undersigned, support thetf tion that only the players, officials,' bands be allowed on Kyle Field duringf' 1 ball games. We feel that there shouldh exceptions to this tradition. The recent 1 cision to allow the Texas cheerleaders Kyle field this Thanksgiving downg^ the memorial to WWI dead. We doj want the Texas cheerleaders on Kyle Fit' Carl Co* Mark Anderson Editor’s note: This letter was by 1,214 signatures. accompli''’