Admits He Made Mistakes : Quayle Cites but Forgives Harsh Treatment by Press

Looking back on his vice presidential campaign even before it ends, Dan Quayle expressed regrets Thursday about his harsh treatment by the media but said he wanted to “let bygones be bygones” as he prepares to assume office.

Appearing confident that he has overcome early negative perceptions about such matters as his academic and military records, Quayle waxed philosophical about what he said was unfair treatment by the press. He admitted having made mistakes as well and blamed his “difficult time” on the competitive pressures of “contemporary journalism.”

“There was a unique situation,” Quayle said. “I’ve never run for national office, so that you had a very short period of time and everyone is prone to make mistakes and misjudgments,” Quayle said in a conversation with reporters in an airport lobby.

In an almost fraternal tone, Quayle sympathized with “the pressure you’re all under to get the scoop” and said: “It’s going to be a very interesting discussion that you all are going to have among yourselves and how this could have been done better.”

Quayle confessed that he would run his campaign differently if he were able to start over again, saying he wished that he had assumed “control of the environment” earlier and resisted the advice of aides who sought to shelter him from the press.

Understanding Ground Rules

But, he said, “It takes one a while to understand what the ground rules are of a national campaign. Looking back, could I have done it earlier? Perhaps. Should I have done it earlier? Again, perhaps.”

Quayle’s musings, expressed during a 20-minute conversation while his campaign plane was being repaired, occurred on a day in which the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Michael S. Dukakis released another advertisement questioning Quayle’s qualifications as a potential successor to the presidency.

The Indiana senator brushed that assault aside, contending that the Democrats’ efforts to exploit him had “failed all along.”

“We’ll find out Tuesday,” he said jauntily. “Obviously, focusing on me for three to four weeks is going to turn out to be something (Dukakis) shouldn’t have done.”

Most polls continue to show Quayle with the highest unfavorability rating of the four national candidates. But, on Thursday, with a self-assurance that has increased markedly since he emerged last month from the protective custody of the Republican campaign, he expressed confidence that a revision of public perceptions is already under way.

“People are now going back and saying, ‘Well, what really did happen,’ ” Quayle contended. “All these things that came out in the beginning, particularly all the innuendoes and the false accusations, proved out to be totally false . . . . People are coming to the conclusion, ‘Well, yes, it was unfair.’ ”

After a broken power unit grounded his plane for the morning, Quayle’s already light campaign day was reduced to an airport news conference in Greenville, S. C., and a rally at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater.

There, he sought to counter Dukakis’ new emphasis on anti-drug efforts, contending that the Democratic nominee was “soft on crime” and blasting Dukakis’ pledge to wage war on drugs as “contrived and phony.

“How can he believe in such a war when he does not practice it?” Quayle asked.