NEWS ANALYSIS : Quayle Stumbled When He Walked Into Abortion Flap

The other day in Boston, peals of laughter greeted Republican Gov. William F. Weld of Massachusetts when he told State House reporters he considered Vice President Dan Quayle “the best political mind in the White House.” But Weld went on to argue that the much-ridiculed vice president is “very quick in his judgments and I think sure” on matters of politics.

That view has had its adherents elsewhere in the Republican Party--not necessarily that Quayle has the best political mind in the White House but that whatever his other shortcomings, he recognizes the politics in situations and has an instinct for extracting political capital from them. His use of the birth of a child to a single woman in the “Murphy Brown” television show to illustrate an eroding of “family values”--a theme much favored by conservatives--was only the most recent illustration.

Weld’s observation, however, came before the vice president got himself entangled in the critical abortion issue by saying in a television interview that, in a hypothetical situation, he would support his daughter’s decision to have an abortion, though he opposes the procedure. Quayle could not have picked a worse issue to stir up in this election year, when positions on abortion so clearly divide the major party nominees, and when the contest for the women’s vote shapes up as so critical.

Within the Republican Party as well, the issue spells trouble. Abortion will be debated at length either inside or outside the Republican National Convention in Houston next month.

At a minimum, Quayle’s comment--he later said he remained firmly anti-abortion--is likely to reduce his effectiveness in arguing his party’s position on this issue, as well as refuel the widespread impression that he is not sharp enough to stand a heartbeat away from the presidency.

The episode also comes as rumors refuse to die that President Bush will drop Quayle from the ticket. But even in this latest flap, conservatives have rallied around him, and GOP insiders say they believe he will remain on the ticket.