Dukakis Was Upset His Reply on Death Had No Life

Michael S. Dukakis was one of the first critics of his own unemotional answer to a debate question about the possibility of his wife being raped and killed. “I blew it,” Dukakis told top aide John Sasso as he walked off the stage in Los Angeles after last October’s debate with George Bush, according to a new book about the 1988 election. Dukakis’ aides were baffled at his performance, according to the authors, because he had rehearsed an effective answer to a soft-on-crime question 13 times. The story is recounted in the book by political columnists Jack Germond and Jules Witcover, titled “Whose Broad Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988.” Dukakis’ widely criticized response was to a question posed by debate moderator Bernard Shaw of CNN, who asked if he would favor the death penalty if his own wife, Kitty, were raped and murdered. “No, I don’t, Bernard,” the candidate responded, in a flat voice. “And I think you know I’ve opposed the death penalty all of my life. . . . “ Dukakis’ seemingly unfeeling answer “captured the candidate’s most glaring vulnerabilities” and helped put an end to his chances of defeating Bush, according to the book.

--A pilot trying to re-enact the first flight across the English Channel on its 80th anniversary was forced to ditch her plane two miles short of the British coast. Gloria Pullan was commemorating French aviator Louis Bleriot’s July 25, 1909, flight from Calais, France, to Dover, England, in an authentic Bleriot XI monoplane, the same type used for his crossing. Pullan, 36, was rescued by a Royal Air Force helicopter. She was taken to a field atop the White Cliffs of Dover where a large welcoming party was waiting on the spot where Bleriot landed.

--Marines are used to taking orders, so you may see them carting around books. “The profession of arms, in particular, has a profound body of knowledge which requires constant study . . . “ Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Alfred M. Gray Jr. said in a message to Marine barracks. A new book list tells sergeants to read “a minimum of two books (ideally four) annually.” The mandate for colonels is three, with “six ideally.” Selections include Leo Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” and Mao Tse-tung’s “On Guerrilla Warfare.”