The Week

■ Ronald Reagan has endorsed George Bush for 1992, and we understand, but extremism in observance of the Eleventh Commandment is no virtue.

■ The conduct of conservative leaders stumping New Hampshire for George Bush has so far observed the decencies. Jack Kemp refused to read Pat Buchanan out of the human race, despite his disagreements with him on protectionism and isolationism. “I’m not up here against Pat,” Kemp has said, “I’m up here for George Bush and Dan Quayle.” Better to be polite than not. But politeness alone cannot resolve the anomaly of Kemp’s position as a conservative champion in an un-conservative Administration. President Bush “has given me a tremendous opportunity to travel the country and work on reforming the welfare system,” said the HUD Secretary. “If I didn’t do what I’m doing, I think it would be a stain on Jack Kemp far greater than coming up here.” It would indeed be a far greater stain if what the country most needed at this moment were a welfare reformer at HUD. But when the economy is a mess, when foreign policy lacks direction, when the case against affirmative action was surrendered in signing the quota (i.e., civil-rights) bill, then what is needed is a challenge from the Right, not a radical reforming HUD Secretary.

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Presidential Election

■ Ronald Reagan has endorsed George Bush for 1992, and we understand, but extremism in observance of the Eleventh Commandment is no virtue.

■ The conduct of conservative leaders stumping New Hampshire for George Bush has so far observed the decencies. Jack Kemp refused to read Pat Buchanan out of the human race, despite his disagreements with him on protectionism and isolationism. “I’m not up here against Pat,” Kemp has said, “I’m up here for George Bush and Dan Quayle.” Better to be polite than not. But politeness alone cannot resolve the anomaly of Kemp’s position as a conservative champion in an un-conservative Administration. President Bush “has given me a tremendous opportunity to travel the country and work on reforming the welfare system,” said the HUD Secretary. “If I didn’t do what I’m doing, I think it would be a stain on Jack Kemp far greater than coming up here.” It would indeed be a far greater stain if what the country most needed at this moment were a welfare reformer at HUD. But when the economy is a mess, when foreign policy lacks direction, when the case against affirmative action was surrendered in signing the quota (i.e., civil-rights) bill, then what is needed is a challenge from the Right, not a radical reforming HUD Secretary.