Does He Side With Party or Aid a Fellow Texan? : Bentsen Facing Dilemma on Tower Vote

As the Senate debate over John Tower’s nomination to be secretary of defense continues, Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Tex.) faces a predicament: Does he side with other Democrats and vote against Tower for the sake of party unity or should he cast a vote for a fellow Texan and 14-year Senate colleague whom he apparently respects?

Although most senators have lined up for or against Tower, Bentsen has remained silent.

He and Tower are not personal friends, but the two have a good working relationship, and Bentsen strongly praised Tower’s knowledge of defense issues when he appeared at the Senate Armed Services Committee’s hearings on the ex-senator’s nomination.

A Lot to Consider

“This is an uncomfortable vote for him because so much of the evidence against Tower is subjective,” a Bentsen aide said Friday, adding: “He hasn’t made up his mind; he’s got a lot of things to consider.”

Although Bentsen seems to be under little pressure on the issue, there is the consideration of his rising political star in the aftermath of his Democratic vice presidential campaign last year, according to political insiders.

If the 68-year-old senator has presidential aspirations, it could be risky for him to split with fellow Democrats on the issue, which is likely to be decided on party lines.

In particular, some believe a yes vote by Bentsen would antagonize other Senate Democratic conservatives, led by Sen. Sam Nunn of Georgia, who have spearheaded much of the opposition to Tower. It would be out of character for Bentsen to break with such a voting bloc, they said.

‘Hard to Buck Party’

“I’ve seen Bentsen speak several times in recent weeks, and he sure sounds like a presidential candidate to me,” said Billie Carr, a member of the Democratic National Committee from Houston. “Given that, it would be hard for him to buck the party. I think he’s under pressure to just belly up to the bar and vote against Tower.”

Yet others suggest that Bentsen may be feeling economic pressure to vote for Tower because his appointment is believed to be supported by Texas defense industries. That, plus loyalty to Tower, might tip his vote in favor of the embattled nominee.

“The President has nominated a man from Texas to head the Defense Department, and that’s tough to reject,” said attorney Ed Cogson, a longtime Democratic activist from Houston and a member of the Democratic state committee. “So Bentsen could be torn between a longtime bond with conservative Democrats in the Senate and economic forces in the state.”

However, most observers believe Bentsen will not experience much political heat either way. A key reason is that the Tower nomination has not become a burning issue in Texas.

Anti-Tower Mail Cited

“The mail we’ve received on this has not been particularly heavy, and it’s been running against Tower,” a Bentsen aide said. “When we get calls, even from Republicans, it’s from people who say: ‘Lloyd, I’ve been asked to call on behalf of John Tower, but you go ahead and do what you think is best.’ ”

Officials with defense firms said they have not been pressuring Bentsen to support the nomination. That kind of lobbying “would be highly inappropriate . . . it’s really none of our business,” a spokesman for a large Texas defense contractor said.

Meanwhile, a Bentsen spokesman said his boss has no plans to announce his decision before this week’s expected vote. “He could go either way,” the aide said. “But, if it turns out he’s the only Democrat who winds up voting for Tower, none of his colleagues will hold that against him.”