Bush Steps Up to ‘Firing Line,’ Agrees to Debate Rivals on TV

Vice President George Bush, under fire from other Republican presidential aspirants for refusing to debate them, announced Tuesday that he would participate in a televised forum in October.

Bush had twice turned down invitations to appear on public television’s “Firing Line” program, moderated by William F. Buckley Jr., and debate his six rivals for the 1988 Republican presidential nomination.

The two-hour debate will be televised live from Houston on Oct. 28.

“I know there has been considerable discussion about the ‘Firing Line’ debate,” Bush said in a statement. “I will be there.”

Former Delaware Gov. Pierre S. (Pete) du Pont IV, the first Republican to announce his candidacy for the nomination, had denounced the Bush organization for “delaying tactics and efforts to manipulate” the “Firing Line” debate.

After Bush agreed to be in Houston for the debate, Du Pont spokesman Bill Outlaw called the decision “a cautious but welcome first step.”

Others in the Republican debate will be Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas, Rep. Jack Kemp of New York, former Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr., the Rev. Pat Robertson and former Sen. Paul Laxalt of Nevada.

Six contenders for the Democratic nomination were featured on the program July 1.