Solemn, Then Fierce, Bush Throws His Daily 1-2 Punch

Now in the windup, George Bush plays the part of two campaigners.

There is the early morning Bush--the would-be President speaking to his nation in the somber intonements of the statesman.

On Wednesday morning, almost as if he caught the scent of incumbency, this ever-so-moderate Bush called for a NATO summit next year on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the alliance.

It’s time to counter Soviet initiatives in the battle for world public opinion, said Bush, and to once again spread the word that Americans are the ones wearing the white hats.

Later--too late for the nightly news shows--comes the afternoon George Bush. With partisan teeth bared, he charges headlong at Democrat Michael S. Dukakis. This is for the benefit of local audiences in target communities.

“He’s going to unleash on America a new 82nd Airborne of IRS agents!” Bush barks.

Partisan Address

This Bush addressed partisans in Royal Oak, Mich., Wednesday afternoon, offering the full GOP indictment of Dukakis: He is an L-word liberal (“I don’t mean to talk dirty but. . .”), he is against the death penalty, and for greater gun control and so on.

So far, this one-two punch seems to be getting Bush exactly what he wants. His national audience receives the presidential message; local supporters a partisan one.

And the vice president can proclaim that he is not easing up despite his lead in polls.

“I’m running as if I’m 10 points behind,” he insisted as he traveled to three towns in the swing state of Michigan.

Wednesday’s call for a meeting of NATO heads of state is one of several times Bush has expressed his penchant for summitry.

Previously he called for an environmental summit, a Western Hemisphere summit on drugs and said he wanted the next economic summit of industrialized democracies to focus on agriculture.

As spelled out by Bush, this latest idea of a NATO summit seems fairly safe sailing. The most controversial item of pending business among the member nations is growing sentiment in the United States to have European nations pay a greater share of mutual defense costs.

He touched only gently on this rub. “Each nation must pay its fair share,” he said, promising not to consider unilateral U.S. troop reductions.

Instead, Bush’s plan for a summit would have NATO nations continue their work toward a unified negotiating stance to present to Warsaw Pact nations on conventional arms control for Europe.

Public Relations

He also emphasized his new idea of bringing the alliance together for a public relations offensive against the Soviets and their media-savvy leader, Mikhail S. Gorbachev.

“We cannot permit our public opinion to become the playground for Soviet publicists trying to depict us as the obstacles to constructive change,” Bush said.

He reasoned that NATO countries cannot assume that today’s young generations “understand the need” for NATO. Each head of state, Bush said, should “take to the bully pulpit to explain the alliance and why we need it.”

A PR offensive against the new Soviet leadership normally would not be the stuff of big news in a presidential campaign 20 days from the vote. But in this case, it reflects the caution that has enveloped Bush now that he holds the favored ground.

In turn, this has meant troubled times for the jet-load of reporters on hand to cover this finish of the long campaign, hungry for news or excitement. At least three TV crews turned away from the candidate to work on stories about the campaign press. The result found cameramen taping cameramen who were taping Bush’s speeches.

But Bush and his increasingly confident operatives seemed unconcerned.

For the first time Wednesday, the campaign claimed a shift in strategy to go after once solidly Democratic states, such as New York.

Target States

Until recently, before polls showed Bush moving into a strong lead, the vice president’s stated plan was to concentrate on a handful of target states in the Midwest along with New Jersey, California and Washington state. This, on top of his solid Southern and Far West base was presumed to offer his best chance of winning.

Campaign manager Lee Atwater said this had changed because of weakness in Dukakis’ support.

“Usually a Democrat starts running away with a state like New York in the last three weeks--and that hasn’t happened. . . . We feel like the vice president has a good chance,” said Atwater.

Bush was to travel to New York today.