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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 13, 1988)
TKeBattalion ■ Vol.87 No. 174 045360 6 Pages College Station, Texas Wednesday, July 13, 1988 ip A&M leaders, experts react :to Dukakis-Bentsen ticket aw »ed the 'eligioii! ; Roman of the Const!- lied the i, savini By Stephen Masters Staff Writer Political leaders and experts at 'exas A&M reacted with surprise to emocratic presidential nominee lichael Dukakis’ recommendation fSen. Lloyd Bentsen as his running ate on Tuesday. Some offered support while others were skeptical Ibout his effect on the campaign. I Current and former leaders of ggie Democrats were supportive of ukakis’ choice. “I think he (Dukakis) made a wise ecision,” said William Hancock, ormer president of Aggie Demo- rats and county coordinator of the emocratic party. “There were several in the run- lung who were acceptable candi- ates. This is a decision that most leople in the party will be comfort- ible with. From a regional and an dealistic standpoint, I think he nade a good decision.” Aggie Democrats president Mich- lle Touchet also supported the rec- immendation. “Our job is to support Dukakis md his decision, and do whatever ve can to help the party in Novem- jer,” Touchet said. “He (Bentsen) as his good points. It will help that e’s from Texas.” Young Conservatives of Texas president Dick Lonquist and adviser H)r. Steve Pejovich were unavailable Bor comment Tuesday. Dr. Warren Dixon, an A&M assis- nt professor of political science, as surprised at the timing of the nouncement and expressed doubts bout the reasoning behind Dukakis’ election. I’m surprised by it (the decision), lainly because it’s so early,” Dixon said. “By conventional wisdom, hav ing Bentsen on the ticket might help the Dukakis campaign carry Texas, but the ability of a vice presidential candidate to help carry a state is problematic at best. “This move suggests that Dukakis is being very cautious. His conven tionality is the most astounding thing to me. “I just think this selection should make for a boring election. If George Bush picks Bob Dole (for his running mate), then you can just wake me up a couple of days after the election.” Gary Halter, adviser for Aggie Democrats, was more optimistic about Bentsen’s possible presence on the ticket. “Obviously it (choosing Bentsen) will make it easier for Dukakis to carry Texas. Bentsen has been in the Senate since 1970 and he has always won by a large margin. In the last election six years ago, he not only won his race, but also carried Mark White and other democrats into offi ce.” There was also a general consen sus that Jesse Jackson’s claim on the running mate spot was unfounded. “Finishing second (for the nomi nation) usually has never denoted any special status as far as being the party’s running mate,” Hancock said. “I can understand his (Jack son’s) disappointment, but I think that the candidate should be given the choice and would hope that he would do what is best for the ticket come November.” Halter echoed Hancock’s opinion. “Jackson has a lot of negatives with him,” Halter said. “I cannot think when the second place candi date in the democratic primaries has Battalion file photo Michael Dukakis received the vice presidential candi date position.” “Jackson would have created some problems for Dukakis,” Dixon said. “Pretend you are Dukakis. Would you want Jackson on the ticket with you? Jackson is just more interesting in a broad sense. Gener ally the presidential candidate doesn’t want a running mate who is going to outshine him.” Touchet pointed out Jackson’s good points that he said should be stressed. “Jackson is a good guy. He’s done a great deal for blacks and minorities in general. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of him.” Halter agreed Jackson won’t just disappear. “I do think Jackson will receive a cabinet offer if Dukakis does win the election,” he said. -Nicaraguan diplomats get expelled from U.S. ■ WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi dent Reagan on Tuesday ordered Nicaraguan diplomats expelled from the United States in reprisal for the ouster of the American en voy to Managua and seven State De partment colleagues. ■ At the same time, Reagan refused to rule out severing U.S. relations Vfith the leftist Sandinista govern ment, saying that it “remains an op tion.” The U.S. retaliatory move got caught in a snag, however, because ■ados Tunnermann, Nicaragua’s ambassador to the United States, ferries a separate portfolio as his / JulV# untr y’ s envoy to the Organization of American States. ■ The confusion arose because the United States, as host country for i/Vomen'iHk OAS, cannot expel envoys ac- e offeree | Dderatei; I RTS credited to that hemispheric body. White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater acknowledged Tunner- mann’s separate status with the OAS but said Tunnermann simply “won’t be ambassador” to the United States. Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Robert Michel, R-Ill., said that in a meeting that he and other congressmen had with Reagan, na tional security adviser Colin D. Pow ell said U.S. Ambassador Richard Melton recommended against cut ting off relations. The latest flare-up in mostly icy relations that have existed since the Sandinistas overthrew dictator Anas- tasio Somoza in 1979 prompted White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater to brand Managua’s expul sion order and political crackdown as “black eyes for the peace process.” Secretary of State George P. Shultz, traveling in the Far East, called Nicaragua’s ouster of Melton and the other U.S. diplomats action an “absolute outrage.” And the State Department listed a series of actions, capped by Mon day’s closing of La Prensa and Radio Catolica, that it said are “directed against the political opposition, labor and press in Nicaragua.” The expulsions came amid grow ing indications of a softening of op position in Congress to a renewal of U.S. military aid to the Contra rebels seeking to topple the Sandinistas. Reagan, asked whether he was putting off a new move to get Con gress to approve military aid for the Contras, replied, “We’re not waiting. We’re worjeing on that.” jnts, fac- i ID arc Senate bill may aid funds to move track iestol5 jeessaf); ?cf cane' jonsistff oints(rc i/iopefifl consist c 3S Wi e in >p quali itswillK and mu: t The U.S. Senate Tuesday assed a bill that could provide 500,000 for planning the reloca- :ion of the railroad tracks along Wellborn Road to west of Eas- terwood Airport. Officials from Sen. Phil Gramm’s office said an amend ment was added to the Depart ment of Transportation appro- riations bill that would supply 500,000 to look into relocating the tracks. Since the version passed by the Senate does not match the ver sion passed by the House of Rep resentatives, the bill now must go to a joint conference committee to work out the differences be- tvyeen the two. The relocation planning amendment is not in the House’s version and could possi bly still be cut. The Board of Regents isawait- ing the result of a study under taken in May to determine the best location for the tracks. Gov. Bill Clements asked the Texas Highway and Transportation De partment to manage the reloca tion project. Plans for funding the actual movement of the tracks, an ex pected cost of $50 million, are 45 percent from the federal level, 45 percent from the state, 5 percent from Bryan, College Station and Brazos County and 5 percent from Southern Pacific Railroad. Thornburgh pledges ‘to follow evidence’ of attorney general WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Pennsylvania Gov. Richard L. Thornburgh, picked by President Reagan to head the troubled Justice Department, pledged Tuesday to “follow the evidence wherever it may lead” in the matter of outgoing At torney General Edwin Meese III. Thornburgh declined to answer questions about Meese in any detail, however, in an appearance in the White House briefing room with Reagan, who announced the nomi nation and urged swift confirmation by the Senate. The administration will be in office for only six more months. White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater said Thornburgh’s nomi nation will be sent to the Senate dur ing the week of July 25, when Con gress will be back from a weeklong recess that begins Friday so that members can attend the Democratic National Convention. Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he hoped hearings would “be gin right away” and added that they can “if the Democrats don’t delay the matter.” Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Mas sachusetts, the No. 2 Democrat on the committee, which will review Thornburgh’s nomination, said he expected a rapid confirmation. Battalion file photo Lloyd Bentsen While most agreed Jackson would not leave the national spotlight, Dixon wasn’t sure Bentsen has had enough national exposure. Dixon said Bentsen’s past victories haven’t necessarily proven his draw ing power, especially at the national level. “Bentsen is known in Texas, but he is not really a firebrand of a cam paigner and is not that well known outside of the state. “Bentsen’s victories have not been so much of an indication of his strength so much as an indication of the weakness of the Republican party at the state level. I don’t know to what extent he can extend the vote-getting power of the campaign, but I have always been skeptical about vice presidential help in draw ing votes.” Lloyd Bentsen named Dukakis’ running mate (AP) — Michael Dukakis anointed Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas as his vice presidential run ning mate on Tuesday, signaling a Democratic drive to reclaim a portion of the South in the fall election against George Bush. Dukakis described the decision as his “first presidential act.” See related stories, page 6 “We’re going to fight for every state in the LJnion and we’re going all out to win,” the 67-year- old Bentsen said in his public de but as Dukakis’ political partner. Both men said they were fol lowing the path to victory forged by another Massachusetts-Texas team, John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, in 1960. Jesse Jackson said he was “too controlled . . . and too mature to be angry” at being passed over, although some of his supporters in Congress expressed anger. Jackson said his name would be placed in nomination for presi dent against Dukakis next Wednesday, but added, “I no doubt will support the ticket that the convention elects next week.” “That’s interesting, that’s what I think about it,” Bush told re porters aboard Air Force Two as he left Washington for the Major League All-Star Game in Cincin nati. The vice president said in a Boston Globe interview published earlier in the day that Bentsen 1 : 1 " "" — (AP) — Lloyd Bentsen: l ♦ Feb, 11, 1921: Born in Mis- Ijjjfen, m * 1942: Enlisted as private in , LL$. Army, rose to rank of major, commanded Army Air Corps IT • 1945: Elected county judge of Hidalgo Coun ty. • Dec. 4, 1948: Elected in spe cial election to Congress; re elected three rimes. • 1955; Moved to Hottston to enter business; becoming presi dent of Lincoln Consolidated, s*.:i financial holding institution; eventually was director of several corporations. • Nov. S, 1970: Elected to VM Senate, defeating Republican George Bush. < • 1976: Sought Demo; nomination for president; later withdrew from race, mp • November 1976: Re-elected < to U.S. Senate. • November 1982: to third Senate term “doesn’t worry me” despite the Democrat’s victory in a 1970 head-to-head Senate race. Bentsen drew high praise from Republican and Democratic col leagues. Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole said Dukakis “could not have picked a better man.” Brazos County lawmakers respond to Dukakis’ choice “I have the greatest respect for Dick Thornburgh,” Kennedy said. “The state of justice in America would be very different today if Dick Thornburgh had been attorney gen eral for the past SVz years instead of Ed Meese.” Meese himself was enthusiastic about Reagan’s choice of Thorn burgh. “I think it’s excellent. I had the opportunity to talk in some de tail with the president about the va rious candidates and I think Dick Thornburgh is actually at the top of the list,” Meese said. “He’s an outstanding person and I’m sure he’ll do an excellent job,” Meese added. Thornburgh, 55, had been men tioned as a possible running mate for Vice President George Bush, the likely Republican presidential nomi nee. And since Thornburgh’s name surfaced on Monday as Reagan’s probable choice for the attorney general’s job, there was talk that the former Pennsylvania governor would be kept in the Justice post during a Bush administration. Fitzwater said Vice President George Bush was consulted about the nomination. On the question of whether Thornburgh would remain as attor ney general if Bush were elected president, Bush spokesman Stephen Hart said, “I think it’s premature to even speculate about that.” By Janet Goode Senior Staff Writer Brazos County Democrats were expectedly enthusiastic about the an nouncement of Sen. Lloyd Bentsen as Michael Dukakis’ choice for a run ning mate, while local Republicans said a Dukakis-Bentsen ticket would help their party in both the presi dential and senatorial races. Ron Gay, chairman of the Brazos County Democratic Party, said he thinks Sen. Bentson is an outstand ing choice. “He (Bentsen) brings ballots to the ticket both philosophically and geo graphically and makes our front runner look even better,” Gay said. “I think this blunts Bush’s assertion that because he (Bush) is from Texas, he will carry the state.” Rodger Lewis, county chairman for the Republican party of Brazos County, said, although they have a lot of research to do, the first im pression is that Bentsen being on the ticket may give the Republicans an edge in the senatorial race. “It will help our senatorial race because it’ll clearly associate Bentsen with a strong liberal — Dukakis,” he said. “Therefore, it’ll be no problem for our Senate candidate to make it clear to voters in his campaign that they’re casting a liberal not a conser vative vote.” Lewis also said that a lot of Texans are going to resent Bentsen running for two offices at once. “That should be another thing helping us,” he said. “A lot of us don’t even see what Bentsen brings to Dukakis.” But Gay said he doesn’t think Bentsen running for the two offices will have a negative effect on the campaign. Referring to the 1960 campaign in which Lyndon Johnson ran for vice president and senator concurrently. Gay said, “I think that history repeats itself and what held in 1960 will hold true this year.” David Weeks, a spokesman for Bentsen campaign in Austin, also said he sees no problems with Bent sen running in the two races. “Lloyd Bentsen is absolutely run ning for both the vice presidency and the Senate,” he said. “He is al lowed to under Texas law, and his name cannot be taken off the ballot. He will run a vigorous campaign for the Senate. “He is not worried that running for two offices may bother some Texans. Either choice will be a good one for Texas. A vote for Bentsen is a vote for Texas.” However, Lewis said he sees the possible Dukakis-Bentsen ticket weakening the Democratic cam paign since he thinks the two are strong and weak in the same areas in Texas. “Bentsen is strong, for example, in the lower Rio Grande Valley, and so is Dukakis,” he said. “Dukakis would’ve had those votes anyway. He doesn’t seem to add anything to the ticket. “Obviously, Texans would like to have another Texan in the white house.” That fact may sway some votes that would otherwise not go that way, he said. But he said, “Bush has the best chance to win the presidential elec tion.” “He has tremendous experi ence. There’s hardly any compari son between his experience and the other candidates’ experience. If you compare all the different public service offices Bush has held to those of Dukakis or even Bentsen, there’s just no comparison. Dukakis has been a Governor and that’s it!” But Weeks disagreed. “Having Bentsen for vice presi dent will be a good thing for Texas and for the country,” Weeks said. “He brings a tremendous amount of experience and expertise to the ticket. “He now holds one of the most powerful positions in the Senate and he knows how to work with the Sen ate. That in itself is a tremendous advantage for any presidency.” U.S. helicopters trade rounds with attacking Iranian boats WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. military helicopters exchanged fire Tuesday with two suspected Iranian gunboats that were attacking a Pana manian tanker in the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon said. The boats had been shooting at the 81,282-ton Universal Monarch, which broadcast a distress alert at about 11:30 a.m. EDT saying it “was being attacked and was on fire,” De fense Department spokesman Dan Howard said. “To my knowledge, this is the first such exchange since the incident of (July) the third,” when the USS Vin cennes mistakenly shot down an Iran Air jetliner, killing all 290 peo ple aboard, Howard said. Two attack helicopters plus a Lamps Mk III surveillance heli copter from the guided missile frig ate USS Nicholas were sent to inves tigate the Mayday call from the tanker, said Lt. Col. David Titus, a spokesman for U.S. Central Com mand in Tampa, Fla., headquarters tor American torces in the gulf. “As the armed helicopters ap proached the Universal Monarch, two small boats were seen departing the area,” Titus said. “The boats fired at the helicopters at approxi mately 12 noon EDT and the heli copters returned their fire with rockets and machine gun fire.” “It is believed one of the boats was damaged,” he said. “There was no damage to the helicopters and no U.S. casualties. The Universal Mon arch suffered some hull, engine and and fire damage. No casualties were reported and the ship required no further assistance, according to its master.” A tugboat from an unknown country helped the Universal Mon arch, Titus said. It was believed that the attack heli copters were AH-6s, flown by Spe cial Operations Forces attached to the U.S. fleet in the gulf and oper ated from specially outfitted barges. The incident took pi^ce in the northern Persian Gulf, 23 nautical miles west-northwest of Farsi Island, which has been used as a staging point for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in launching attacks by small boats against neutral shipping in the gulf. The London-based Lloyd’s Ship ping Intelligence Unit said the Uni versal Monarch is owned by a Hong Kong company and managed by the Japanese company Tokudo Shasen K.K., of Tokyo. ipty to ifji oil- The vessel was sailing emj pick up cargo from the Khal fields, owned jointly by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, according to shipping executives in the gulf who spoke on condition they not be identified by