President Rules Out Early Decision on North Pardon

Saying that he had not yet even considered the issue, President Bush on Monday ruled out an early decision on whether former National Security Council aide Oliver L. North might receive a pardon if convicted.

Bush reacted angrily when asked about reports that he already had made a decision against pardoning North, calling such speculation “idiotic.”

“I haven’t discussed it or shared my thoughts with anybody,” Bush said. “I don’t have any thoughts.”

And he indicated that he will not make a decision on the matter until “everything’s over,” including possible appeals if North is convicted, which could take well over a year. The jury in North’s trial continued its deliberations Monday.

Attends Memorial Service

Bush made his remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew from a Norfolk, Va., memorial service for sailors killed in the explosion on the battleship Iowa to a speech to newspaper publishers gathered in Chicago for their annual convention.

The trip was the first leg of a four-day, six-state tour of the country designed to highlight Bush’s view of his accomplishments in advance of his 100th day in office this weekend.

White House aides until recently deprecated the idea of analyzing Bush’s performance at the traditional 100-day mark but have now switched to trying to influence the inevitable analyses.

To that end, aides distributed a 17-page fact sheet detailing Administration initiatives before Bush spoke to the publishers.

And Bush’s speech was given over almost wholly to a description of what the President labels “a good start” on issues ranging from the budget to foreign policy.

“As I’ve said before,” Bush said, “I am a practical man. I like what’s real. I’m not much for the airy and abstract. I like what works.

“Cooperation, not confrontation,” between the White House and Congress “is the surest route to progress,” he added, saying that the American people “expect results.”

Bush particularly praised the bipartisan agreements that his Administration has reached with congressional leaders on the federal budget and on non-military aid to the anti-government rebels in Nicaragua.

Not all the accomplishments that Administration officials are touting are quite so substantial. At one point in the fact sheet, for example, Bush aides listed as a civil rights initiative the fact that the Administration had “voiced no objection” when Congress considered legislation that directed the Justice Department to gather statistics on crimes motivated by racial, religious, ethnic or sexual animus. Other than “voicing no objection,” the Administration played no particular role in the passage of the legislation.

But whatever shortcomings there may be in substance are being made up for in the hectic nature of Bush’s schedule. By the time his Administration reaches the 100-day point, Bush will have spent roughly one day in four on the road, and his current schedule closely resembles that of a campaign swing.

Bush began with an early morning flight to Norfolk, where he spoke at a memorial service for the 47 sailors killed last week on the Iowa. Then, after the speech in Chicago, he flew to Bismarck, N. D., for a tree-planting ceremony commemorating the state’s centennial anniversary. He then flew to Palo Alto, where he is scheduled to deliver a speech today.

Later today, Bush is scheduled to fly to Orange County for an anti-drug event and then to Los Angeles for a meeting with Latino community leaders.

On Wednesday, he will meet with former President Ronald Reagan--the first joint appearance of the two men since Bush’s inauguration--before flying to Texas for a speech to the Legislature on energy policy. Thursday will find him in Florida for speeches about drug fighting and research into Alzheimer’s disease.