Jackson Confronts Electability Doubts in N.Y. Debate : Gore, Dukakis Clash on Experience Issue

Fighting to keep his presidential candidacy alive, Sen. Albert Gore Jr. sought to embarrass Gov. Michael S. Dukakis during a televised Democratic campaign debate here Thursday night over remarks the Massachusetts governor had previously made about using nuclear weapons if the Soviets should invade Western Europe.

Dukakis hit back in kind, by contending that Gore had referred to a Saudi Arabian king who died six years ago as if he were still alive.

This was the liveliest exchange in an otherwise low-key and slow-moving debate between Gore, Dukakis and the Rev. Jesse Jackson as all three battle for a share of the 255 national convention delegates New Yorkers will pick in their presidential primary next Tuesday. The debate was sponsored by a New York television station and the newspaper Newsday.

Gore touched off the confrontation by contending that Dukakis’ comments made in an interview with the New York Daily News and published Wednesday amounted to a declaration that he would launch a first strike against the Soviets under certain conditions.

‘Should Be Clarified’

“Now, did you mishear the question? Did you misunderstand the question?” Gore asked, adding, “I really think it should be clarified. It does raise the experience issue and I think you ought to have a chance to respond.”

Smiling broadly, but evidently nettled by the condescending tone of Gore’s comments, Dukakis replied: “Al, when it comes to experience I wouldn’t trade mine for yours.”

Dukakis then cited remarks made by the Tennessee senator in an address to a group of Jewish leaders here last week in which Gore said, according to Dukakis, that he regretted King Khaled of Saudi Arabia had not supported the Mideast peace plan recently proposed by U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz.

“You’re going to be an awfully good guy if you can bring Khaled back,” Dukakis said. “He died in 1982.”

“I support NATO policy for the use of nuclear weapons,” Dukakis said. “You know what that policy is.”

Asked About Weapons

That policy provides for U.S. use of tactical nuclear weapons in the event of a Soviet attack against NATO. But the question asked of Dukakis during his interview with the Daily News used the words “strategic weapons”--referring to the larger-scale nuclear weapons designed for use against targets in the Soviet Union. Dukakis’ aides said that the governor did not hear this phrase when he answered.

But Gore maintained that Dukakis’ willingness to discuss conditions under which he would use nuclear weapons if he were President reflected the governor’s lack of experience in foreign policy.

Jackson was not involved in this discussion, but he was sharply challenged himself on another subject, when he was reminded of his past associations with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, black Muslim leader Louis Farrakhan, and his own thinly veiled anti-Semitic characterization of New York in 1984 as “Hymietown.”

“You’ve apologized and explained for most of those,” the journalist questioning Jackson said. “But why should people simply put that aside and vote for you in New York, and especially in New York City?”

“Because people in human affairs forgive, redeem and move on,” Jackson replied. He added that some people in New York also remembered that he has pressed Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev on rights of Soviet Jews and sought to obtain the extradition of a Nazi war criminal from Syria. “People remember what they choose to remember,” Jackson said.

Challenges Arafat

He also said that in his meeting with Arafat, he had challenged him to change his position toward Israel to concede that nation’s right to exist.

Jackson also pressed Dukakis on the issue of South Africa. Noting that Dukakis had vowed not to negotiate with terrorists if he were President, Jackson asked if Dukakis would negotiate with South Africa, whose racial policies Jackson contended amounted to “state terrorism.”

“I think when you have an existing government of this kind, as a practical matter you have to do everything you can to get them to understand the kind of tragedy they’re heading for,” Dukakis said. “So I wouldn’t refuse to talk to them.”

Jackson was at his best in his closing statement, in which by urging voters in making their choices next Tuesday to consider what sort of leader they would want as President he sought to combat arguments that he could not be elected if his party were to nominate him.

“If on Wednesday morning you were about to lose your job and (airline executive Frank) Lorenzo was about to bust your union, indeed as he has done at Eastern Airlines, who would you want to argue your case to save your job?” Jackson asked.

“If you had to have someone to face the drug lords in this country, who do you think would have the leadership qualities to fight that war and be determined to win? If you had to get your child a scholarship in school and wanted someone to argue your case, who would you look to?

“In the real sense,” he concluded “whoever can deliver is electable.”