FRANCHOT, MORELLA EXCHANGE FIRE ON 'STAR WARS'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP99-00418R000100150031-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 15, 2012
• Sequence Number: 31
• Publication Date: September 13, 1988
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

Si Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/15: CIA-RDP99-00418R000100150031-2
Franchot, Morella Exchange
Fire on `Star Wars'
Challenger Says Vote Demonstrates `Waffling
Incumbent Says Charges Will Backfire
By Jo-Ann Armao
Peter Franchot, the Democratic
challenger in Maryland's 8th Con-
gressional District, held another of
his trademark news conferences
yesterday to attack the voting
record of Rep. Constance A. Mo-
rella-this time criticizing the first-
term incumbent's record on funding
for the Strategic Defense Initiative.
Morelia, in what also has become
ritual in the campaign, defended her
record and accused Franchot of dis-
tortions, all the while portraying
herself as busy at work while her
opponent is meeting the press.
Franchot, an acknowledged un-
derdog in his bid to unseat Repub-
liban Morelia, has adopted a strat-
egy of striking hard, often and pub-
lidy against votes she cast since her
election in 1986. One Montgomery
County political analyst likened
Franc-hot to "a heat-seeking mis-
sile," saying that Franchot did a bet-
ter job of attacking Morella's record
during last week's debate than she
did in defending it.
Morelia conceded that she is
somewhat on the defensive, forced
to respond to what she calls Fran-
chot's "glittering generalities."
about her record. But she said she
is confident her message that she is
an independent voice who deserves
reelection is getting before the vot-
ers and that Franclot's strategy
will backfire.
Franchot answered charges that
he is distorting Morella's record by
quoting President Harry S Truman
that " 'my opponents say that I am
giving them hell. Actually what I am
doing is telling the truth and it is so
bad they think it is hell.' '
Yesterday's news conference had
all the markings of a Franchot me-
dia event-the freshman state del-
egate from Takoma arc was late
and interest in the event a n
piqued by the announcement that
former director of central into li-
ence William Colby would be
rp esent. Franc of has previously
shown a penchant for props.
Colby, who headed the CIA from
1973 to 1976, said during the news
conference that he knew Franchot
from when Franchot worked as an
aide to Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-
Mass.) and that he wanted to work
for the election of candidates who
would further arms control.
The issue-funding of current
Stategic Defense Initiative pro-
grams, known as "Star Wars"-of-
fers a good example of Franchot's
standing charge that Morelia "waf-
fles" by voting both sides and of Mo-
re)la's response that Franchot con-
fuses independence with inconsis-
tency and that he doesn't present
the whole picture of her votes.
Franchot took issue with Mo-
rella's 1987 and 1988 votes oppos-
ing a Democratic amendment to a
defense appropriations bill that
would have authorized just $1.2
billion funding for "Star Wars." Sup-
porters of the amendment spon-
sored by Rep. Ronald V. Dellums
(D-Calif.), which was opposed by
President Reagan, said that it would
have eliminated $3.6 billion in SDI
funding while still providing money
for basic research.
Acknowledging that Morelia has
also opposed measures to increase
SDI funding, Franchot argued that
"Morelia is waffling again, trying to
be all things to all voters. If she
The Washington Post $ -~
The New York Times
The Washington Times
The Wall Street Journal
The Christian Science Monitor
New York Daily News
USA Today
The Chicago Tribune
Date
agrees with the experts who say
that 'Star Wars' will never work,
she should vote for the Democratic
amendment which would curtail the
program."
Morelia said she favors SDI re-
search but is opposed to its deploy-
ment. She said a vote for the Del-
lums amendment would have been
"irresponsible" because it would
have eliminated the basic research
that she sees as a spinoff benefit.
Morelia said that the full House
vote was overwhelming in opposi-
tion to the amendment, with many
Democrats opposing it.
Morelia said that she opposed
efforts to increase funding closer to
the $5.8 billion favored by Reagan
and that the $3.1 billion she even-
tually voted for was a compromise.
Morelia also pointed to her en-
dorsements by Peace Political Action
Committee, an organization headed
by the Rev. Robert A. Drinan, and
Women's Action for Nuclear Disar-
mament. Michelle Robinson, exec-
utive director of Peace PAC, said
Morelia's SDI votes were weighed
and she had "a tremendous voting
record on these issues for a first-
term Republican ... and we look to
see her continue that voting record."
Franchot dismissed the group as
"some national organization that no
one ever. heard of and which is des-
perate td endorse Republicans to
show it is bipartisan. The group en-
dorsed Morelia before Franchot en-
tered the race based on her voting
record, but Franchot said he later
sought the group's endorsement.
Page
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/05/15 CIA-RDP99-00418R000100150031-2