CAMPAIGN ’88 : New Citizens Treated to Early Lesson in Politics
His props were the U.S. flag and a miniature copy of the Liberty Bell. His co-star was the retired chief justice of the United States, Warren E. Burger. And his performance was played at the request of President Reagan.
With that stage set, Vice President George Bush took on a five-minute role Saturday in a low-key ceremony, on the 201st anniversary of the Constitution, at which 171 men and women and three children took the oath of citizenship and became Americans in Washington.
Bush spoke briefly to the new citizens, and tourists who wandered into a government auditorium near the Smithsonian Institution museums, and told them: “All of us, from the newest citizens to the oldest, participate in the running of the country.”
The ceremony demonstrated the occasional neat meshing of Bush’s vice presidential duties with his campaign for the presidency. In this case, the White House suggested he take over an invitation first directed to President Reagan.
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