Bush Renews Attacks on Foes of High Court Nominee : Judiciary: He calls them ‘out of touch with mainstream America.’ Effort is attempt to blunt barbs aimed at Thomas by rights, labor groups.

President Bush attempted anew Tuesday to blunt the barbs aimed at his choice for the Supreme Court, charging that the interest groups weighing in against Judge Clarence Thomas are “out of touch with mainstream America.”

In what amounted to yet another testimonial for his embattled nominee, Bush contended that “everyone who’s fair and open-minded” was impressed by Thomas and his record. The chorus of opposition, he suggested, was no more than a sounding of “ideological attacks.”

The attempts to minimize the criticism marked a further effort by the White House to regain a momentum that some feared was lost as Thomas came under coordinated attack in recent days from civil rights and labor groups.

White House officials insist that the nomination is not in jeopardy. But rather than permit sour notes to linger as official Washington leaves for its summer vacation, they have sought in recent days to create a mood that is more upbeat.

Bush issued a written statement of support for Thomas on Monday after meeting with the principal aides charged with shepherding the nomination through the Senate. And in an appearance before a law enforcement audience Tuesday, the President set aside his prepared text in a forceful bid to minimize Thomas’ critics.

Those critics have made clear, however, that they do not intend to let the matter rest. Another civil rights organization, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, plans to announce its opposition today, officials of the group said.

A member of the executive committee said the organization will focus on Thomas’ record as chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and contend that he failed to adequately enforce civil rights laws while serving in that post.

Thomas, a black conservative, was officially opposed last week by the NAACP and has not yet been endorsed by a major civil rights group. But Bush said that his nominee nevertheless enjoyed “across the board support” and was “overwhelmingly supported in minority communities.”

“When you hear about opposition to Judge Thomas from one Beltway group or another,” he added, referring to the capital and the highway that encircles it, “it’s clear that they are simply out of touch with mainstream America.”

Bush aimed the parting shot at his opponents during a speech at the Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters in Arlington, Va., as he wrapped up his business in Washington and departed for a four-week stay at his summer home in Kennebunkport, Me., that will mark the longest vacation of his presidency.

On another topic, Bush told reporters while en route to Kennebunkport that he had no objection to new congressional investigations of allegations that the 1980 Reagan-Bush campaign sought to delay the release of American hostages in Iran until after the presidential election--”just so it’s fair” and “not based on outrageously flimsy sources.”

Bush has repeatedly denied any knowledge, “direct or indirect,” of such an arrangement.

“I’ve defended myself against a lot of scurrilous, scandalous rumors. And I’ll be prepared to do that all along the way,” he said.

Apparently seeking to avoid joining in the criticism, among Republicans, that met the announcement of the probe on Monday, Bush said: “I’d like to think that this will be done responsibly. I’ll certainly approach it in that way.”

But echoing comments made by House Minority Leader Robert H. Michel (R-Ill.), Bush said: “I hope it’s just not, as Michel said, a wild goose chase.

“You know, when you’re dealing with flimsy evidence and people who are less than reliable, in terms of their background, you’ve got to be very careful,” he added. “But if they’ve got something and they can get to the bottom of this and prove it one way or another, so much the better.”

The President’s comments, while similar in tenor to his earlier statements, were Bush’s first on the matter since Democratic congressional leaders announced that they had ordered a formal investigation into the allegations.

The announcement touched off a political donnybrook in Washington, with Michel denouncing it as a partisan attempt to gain advantage on the eve of a presidential election year.

The investigation is being conducted simultaneously under the auspices of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, but will not get under way until after Congress returns from its summer recess Sept. 10.

In beginning his annual pilgrimage to the Bush family home on the coast of Maine, the President has made clear that he intends this summertime stay--which follows a busy spring of overseas travel and postwar diplomacy--to be a true respite.

Bush spent much of last August ferrying back and forth from Kennebunkport to Washington amid preoccupation with the mounting crisis in the Persian Gulf. This summer he is scheduled to leave his seaside home only once, for a campaign-style appearance next Wednesday before a police union in Pittsburgh, Pa. The only other scheduled distraction from more leisurely pursuits is a visit by British Prime Minister John Major from Aug. 28 to 30.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s going to be a vacation,” Bush said at a recent Rose Garden news conference. “I think I’ve earned it, like a lot of Americans, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Jehl reported from Washington and Gerstenzang from Kennebunkport.

NEXT STEP

The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to begin public hearings on Clarence Thomas’ Supreme Court nomination Sept. 10, with questioning of the judge and his supporters and critics. The committee then will vote on whether to recommend confirmation or rejection of the nomination and send it to the full Senate. A majority of the Senate must approve for Thomas to be confirmed.