Aspin Learned Lessons in Humility and ‘Dealing With People’

Arguably, tweedy Rep. Les Aspin is the brainiest member of Congress, trailing behind him degrees from Yale, Oxford and MIT and a professorship at Marquette. But as the Wisconsin Democrat lately discovered, he had a lot to learn about people.

“I naturally tend to deal with ideas and concepts and less naturally deal with people,” he told the Washington Post shortly before Thursday’s showdown vote on his chairmanship of the House Armed Services Committee.

“To me that’s always been an acquired trait, a learned trait,” Aspin continued. “Dealing with people is not a natural phenomenon. So what that means is that whatever the problems are that create a situation like this (his threatened ouster), it’s exacerbated because I tend to be at times insensitive.”

Touches of Humility

Such touches of humility may well have helped the 48-year-old Aspin win restoration to his powerful post Thursday after receiving a vote of no-confidence from committee members earlier this month.

Whatever did it, Aspin undoubtedly will feel chastened by the series of events that almost unhorsed him.

When he took over the military panel in 1985--after leading a revolt that toppled aged Rep. Melvin Price (D-Ill.)--Aspin said that Democrats must regain their appeal to voters by reversing the image that they are weak on defense.

‘Stand for Something’

“If we want to make defense policy in the White House and Pentagon,” he warned after the Reagan landslide of 1984, “then we had better stand for something.”

Aspin’s early career was marked by a barrage of press releases attacking virtually every aspect of Pentagon operations. But the resulting gadfly image masked his support for a strong, albeit more efficient, military.

For example, he supported President Reagan on the MX missile but some Democrats claim that shortly before the caucus vote making him chairman two years ago, Aspin promised to begin opposing the MX. However, he continued his support. He also infuriated liberals by voting for aid to the Nicaraguan contras --and by compromising away Pentagon budget cuts and reforms in a Senate-House conference .

Many colleagues felt betrayed and organized the revolt that nearly succeeded. Trust--that most sacred of congressional commodities--is what Aspin now must rebuild.