IRONY IN DEMOCRATIC SLAPS AT GEORGE BUSH

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP99-00498R000100010140-8
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
K
Document Page Count: 
1
Document Creation Date: 
December 20, 2016
Document Release Date: 
June 19, 2007
Sequence Number: 
140
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
November 7, 1975
Content Type: 
OPEN SOURCE
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PDF icon CIA-RDP99-00498R000100010140-8.pdf93.77 KB
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Approved For Release 2007/06/22 : CIA-RDP99-00498R000100010140-8 TLIE 7 Po~emb .r 19 Charles Bartlett Irony in Democratic slat s at..Gcor6e Bush It is ironic to hear Demo- crats say George Bush is too political to head the CIA ..after their abusive use of the agency as a political punching bag. ?resident Ford's abrupt The political tenor of these inquiries is illustrated by the Senate committee's probe into the assassination plots. Church leapt on the issue after Nelson Rockefel- ler reported that his com- mission had lacked time to explore it fully.`Avowing "We won't duck it" and de- scribing the CIA as "a rogue elephant," Church set off to prove that some had little fellows conspired on their own to kill off for- eign leaders. He promised a full report by Aug. 1, but it is nowhere in sight because Church's researchers found that the little fellows' conspiracies were sanctioned-by Demo- cratic and Republican presidents. Goldwater is accurate in saying that the Church committee is "locked in a tug-of-war be- tween those who want to tell the truth and those who want to protect the Kenn.e- dys." The Democrats are maneuvering to use their dominance to focus the dis- closures on Nixon plots against Chile's Salvador Al- lende. Church and Rep. Otis Pike, D-N.Y., are catering to purists who insist that the cleansing effect of dis- closure justifies a national humiliation. But the disclo- sures and leaks are eating away the good along with the bad. They have chewed up Colby's career. They have dried up intelligence decision to bring Bush back. from China, where: he is ably performing an impor- tant was wholly hinged to an urgent need to rebuild the nation's intelligence ca- pacity !roar the risky tat- ters ;n which congressional investigators have left it. If it ' -ere : got for these probes, ?sent director, an a -:= -:roiessional, would ,ore than sufficed. -e C?A, after 28 years of ope t r g in isolation, need- ed outside scrutiny, but the Senate and House inquiries have utilized the Watergate atmosphere and the candor of the director, William Colby. to stage running hor- ror shows. Sen. Frank Church.- D.-Idaho, has amassed a staff of 120 peo- ple working to point public attention-at mistakes which were fully corrected two years ago. Meanwhile, the public's view of the CIA has been so soured that those senators and representatives regu- larly briefed through the years on CIA activities feel disinclined to speak up. Barry Goldwater is almost alone in attempting to keep the agency's work in per- spective. sources, exploded some sensitive situations, and caused . foreign govern- ments. private companies and even U.S. ,agencies to shrink from collaboration with American intelligence.- `:o intelligence. profes-' sional can manage the huge repair job so long as bitter political winds are blowing The hostile climate may make the repair job impos- sible for any director. But Democrats who oppose Bush can combine to block the best.chance to get a fast, effective start on a crucial task. Bush has made no poli ti- 1 cal race for five years. The respect and affection he l kindled in Congress have lifted him into a series-of demanding tasks..:The- grace and character with which he presided over the Republican National Com- mittee through. the agonies of Watergate cannot be counted a liability in facing the shambles left by the Church-Pike probes. Rush's readiness to take on the task is a certain assurance that he does not have in mind any imminent bid for elective office. . - 1 Instead of indulging in further showmanship, the CIA probers should seize upon the Bush nomination as a chance to build charac- ter and good sense into a re- vived intelligence system. It is time to put aside the punching bag. STAT Approved For Release 2007/06/22 : CIA-RDP99-00498R000100010140-8