Facing Incoming Missiles, Clinton Must Return Fire

The Clinton campaign has had a couple of good weeks. They have every reason to be overjoyed at their situation on the eve of the Democratic convention. But amid all the cheering, they better listen carefully

to the sound of distant artillery. That’s incoming fire, folks, and it’s directed at

Bill Clinton. What you hear is the beginning of a carpet-bombing campaign by the Bush team, reminiscent of what they did to Ross Perot two weeks ago.

Most people in the Clinton campaign expect a nasty attack by the Bushies--but they expected it to begin in late summer. So what pushed the schedule up? Mark down the date July 2,1992--the day that unemployment rose to 7.8%, and with that any hope of an economic recovery pushing George Bush to reelection evaporated. It became clear to the Bushies that their man could not get reelected unless they destroyed the character and credibility of Perot and Clinton.

Witness the bludgeoning of Perot when his campaign was on fire. The Bushies realized that, unchecked, Perot could stay atop the polls through the summer and pose the first serious third-party threat since 1912. So they went to work.

Newt Gingrich : “How would any American like the idea of private investigators possibly trailing your children?”

Marlin Fitzwater : “It’s shocking and frightening to see that kind of bizarre behavior on the part of a presidential candidate.”

Dan Quayle : “I don’t know what the American people think about putting somebody temperamental like that in the White House. It could be a risky proposition.”

Barbara Bush : The First Lady was livid, claiming Perot “may have been mad at Bush for turning down a job offer.”

Bush blasted Perot as not “particularly American.” “I think the American people will reject that kind of tactic, to go around investigating the family of a President of the United States, or the vice president, or any other American.” “Leave my kids alone, I say.”

The attack worked brilliantly. Perot’s poll numbers leveled off. His negatives doubled. His TV performances were defensive, and even his favorite, the talk shows, turned sour.

And now it’s Clinton’s turn. Why? Because as a result of the blood bath between Bush and Perot, Clinton jumped to the top of the recent ABC/Washington Post poll. Clinton’s release of an economic program was well received by the press. His vice-presidential search was conducted in an orderly and substantive manner, and Clinton himself seemed to be growing in stature daily. The Bushies didn’t expect any of this would happen this soon, and so the barrage has begun.

Witness these events by the “Bush Bombers”: Quayle flies to Arkansas and attacks Clinton’s economic plan, criticizing him for flip-flopping on taxes and calling his recovery plan a “pipe dream.” Bomber 2, Gov. William Weld of Massachusetts, also in Arkansas, unleashes a vicious attack on Clinton’s economic and environmental records as 1992’s “Massachusetts Miracle” and says Clinton was a big taxer-and-spender and is weak on crime. Bomber 3, Education Secretary Lamar Alexander, deployed to combat the publicity surrounding the National Education Assn.’s endorsement of Clinton, claims the NEA only approves of politicians who promise the most amount of money and the least amount of change. Bomber 4, South Carolina Gov. Carroll Campbell, from Munich no less, attacks Clinton’s economic plan.

Again, Main Bomber Quayle announces this election will be about character. Witness the rebirth of Gennifer Flowers, brought to you by the Willie Horton folks.

So what should Clinton do? First and foremost, be prepared to counterattack quickly, decisively and without regard to “Robert’s Rules of Order.” Immediately gather your best surrogates and line them up to respond to attacks and to generate your own. Remember, Bush is extremely vulnerable now. A terrible economy, a growing scandal around Bush propping up Saddam Hussein, the October surprises, his family’s business problems--the list goes on. Use ‘em and fire at will.

And so to the Clinton campaign: The Republicans don’t own the franchise on tough politics. It’s about time these guys got a taste of their own medicine.