Letter from Washington

The political impact of the Iran arms deal is spreading beyond the Reagan Administration to the 1988 presidential race. “Reagan’s political tar baby,” as one Democrat calls it, turned up just as attention was beginning to focus on 1988.

One contender, George Bush, appears to have been dealt a serious blow by this scandal, notwithstanding his adroit speech on Iran—his problem being: how to put space between himself and Reagan and at the same time remain a seemly Vice President. Bush will be further tainted if he is tied to the Hasenfus Contra supply program. Bush avoided the spotlight during the first weeks of the crisis, but he surfaced at a previously scheduled luncheon on December 3 at the American Enterprise Institute, where he maintained his support for President Reagan, but admitted that mistakes were made. “It was a good speech for him to give,” noted a conservative political analyst here, “but it was merely damage control. He’s not going to get out of this easily. The media will grill him severely later, especially after he steps out from Reagan’s shadow. Then, Bush will have to speak for himself.”

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Presidential Election

The political impact of the Iran arms deal is spreading beyond the Reagan Administration to the 1988 presidential race. “Reagan’s political tar baby,” as one Democrat calls it, turned up just as attention was beginning to focus on 1988.

One contender, George Bush, appears to have been dealt a serious blow by this scandal, notwithstanding his adroit speech on Iran—his problem being: how to put space between himself and Reagan and at the same time remain a seemly Vice President. Bush will be further tainted if he is tied to the Hasenfus Contra supply program. Bush avoided the spotlight during the first weeks of the crisis, but he surfaced at a previously scheduled luncheon on December 3 at the American Enterprise Institute, where he maintained his support for President Reagan, but admitted that mistakes were made. “It was a good speech for him to give,” noted a conservative political analyst here, “but it was merely damage control. He’s not going to get out of this easily. The media will grill him severely later, especially after he steps out from Reagan’s shadow. Then, Bush will have to speak for himself.”