Democrats Say Reagan Speech Failed to Put End to Iran Issue : Republicans See President as on Road to Rebound

Democrats today said President Reagan failed to put the Iran scandal behind him in a State of the Union address that signaled confrontation with the Congress.

Senate Majority Leader Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) said that although Reagan expressed regret over the failure of the Iran arms deal to bring home American hostages and establish ties with Tehran moderates, “I don’t think he resolved that matter and I think he still has to go some distance to regain the confidence of the people.”

Byrd, appearing on NBC-TV’s “Today” show, added that “the people know that there were mistakes made. They know the policy is wrong.”

Republicans Encouraged

Republicans, however, said they were cheered by the President’s remarks.

House Minority Leader Robert Michel (R-Ill.), appearing on the same show, said Reagan had gone far enough in acknowledging that the Iran- contra policy “went awry,” but disputed critics who had called on Reagan to disclose details.

“I think they (the details) are obviously going to come out in the committees that have been set up in both the Senate and the House,” Michel said. “The President, quite frankly, hasn’t been attuned to all those specifics that I think the American people and those of us in the Congress would like to have.”

Michel also said he believes that although Reagan’s popularity has dropped since disclosure of the Iran-contra scandal, “I still think he has that kind of magic to lead this country the way he’s been leading it in the last six years and can make an appeal to the American people.”

Presidential Rebound

Three Republicans interested in succeeding Reagan saw the rebound of their leader after his Iran scandal and prostate surgery.

“Ronald Reagan is back,” said Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.).

The speech showed Reagan “is still a dominant political force in Washington,” said Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.).

“I thought it was excellent,” said Vice President George Bush about the President’s handling of the Iran question.

The President’s phrases were frequently punctuated by wild cheers led by House Republicans.

But Sen. Howell Heflin (D-Ala.) said the President’s delivery was not as good as in the past.

Past ‘Oomph’ Lacking

“He seemed to be tired. He didn’t seem to have the zip or the oomph he had in the past,” Heflin said. “He may not have fully recovered from his surgery.”

Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), another presidential hopeful, was among many Democrats who complained about the partisan tone of the speech. “He seems to be driving us apart instead of pulling us together,” Gephardt said.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) said the President’s pleas would not deter Congress from confronting the President on key foreign and domestic issues.

“I believe that Congress will have the support of the country in our efforts to terminate aid to the contras, block ‘Star Wars’ deployment and halt the slide of the past six years in key areas such as jobs, education and health care,” he said.