Reagan ‘Mortified’ Bush Endorsement Seen as Lukewarm

President Reagan is “mortified” that his Wednesday night endorsement of George Bush’s presidential candidacy was regarded as surprisingly lukewarm, Reagan’s spokesman said today.

“He feels it was a very strong endorsement, very appropriate, sets the stage for him to talk about the vice president throughout the campaign,” said Marlin Fitzwater.

Reagan gave Bush a terse, three-sentence statement of support Wednesday night, mispronouncing the name of his vice president at one point as “Bosch.”

At the White House today, Fitzwater said any reports that the endorsement was merely lukewarm were “most unfortunate.” He said of Reagan, “He is mortified. He thought the speech was terrific. He wrote it himself. He thought it was strong, a full endorsement of his vice president who he thinks incredibly highly of.”

Endorsement, Page 16.