POLITICAL BRIEFING

WAR AND PEACE: As Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) and other congressional leaders call for more restraint in the Persian Gulf crisis, some Democrats worry the stance may revive charges that the party lacks the backbone to stand up to America’s foes. New York Rep. Stephen J. Solarz, a hard-liner on the gulf, privately warns party leaders that if Democrats appear to be obstructionist and President Bush wins a quick military victory, the party could be shut out of the White House for the rest of the century.

But those arguing for more caution remain unfazed. Ted Van Dyk, one-time adviser to former Sen. George S. McGovern (D-S.D.), contends that arguing for giving the trade embargo more time to work before taking military action against Iraq is “both the politically safe and correct policy position.”

BLACK POWER: President Bush’s hopes of making inroads among blacks in the 1992 presidential campaign suffered a serious setback from an Education Department proposal to ban scholarships specifically aimed at minority students.

Even before that, Bush’s popularity among blacks appeared to be slipping--the result of the weakening in the economy, the growing threat of war in the Middle East and the Administration’s vocal opposition to the congressional civil rights bill.

In the latest Los Angeles Times Poll, taken from Dec. 8 through Dec. 12--the day the short-lived Education Department policy was announced--blacks disapproved of Bush’s handling of the presidency by a margin of 61% to 35%. That essentially reversed the President’s showing of a year earlier, when blacks approved of his performance by a margin of 60% to 28%.

GOP DILEMMA: When President Bush selects someone to replace former Administration drug czar William J. Bennett as chairman-designate of the Republican Party, the nominee will face formidable challenges in preparing the beleaguered party organization for 1992.

At the top of the list is money. Although donations from direct mail solicitations have been running close to expectations, party strategists say gifts from large contributors have fallen off. With the economy in a slump, many Republicans are openly dubious that the RNC will be able to match the $89.5 million it raised for the 1988 election.

Also looming are intraparty disputes over taxes and domestic policy and fights between top White House aides and Republican congressional leaders.

Still to be decided is how much control will remain with the RNC, and how much will be assumed by the Bush reelection apparatus, probably under pollster Robert M. Teeter.

EMPOWERMENT?: The Bush Administration’s new “empowerment” theme is getting a skeptical reception from the nation’s GOP governors.

The state chief executives like the theory behind the new theme, which calls for decentralizing decision-making power to help them deal with local problems. But they complain they are being hamstrung by increasing restrictions on federal social programs, which require them to spend their resources on programs that Washington favors or risk losing federal financial aid.

Grouses Missouri Gov. John Ashcroft: “When there is a mandate from the federal level consuming resources on a program that they’ve decided on, that disempowers the states.”