Clinton For President
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George Bush's presidency appears to be
nearly over. We think it is none too soon.
President Bush's finest hour was the
Persian Gulf War. What we have since
learned, however, is that the Gulf en-
counter was a conflict that might have
been avoided had the Reagan-Bush team
displayed better judgment when it decided
to support Saddam Hussein during and
after the Iraq-Iran war. Since the Gulf
War's end, Mr. Bush's policies have been
consistently unsuccessful and his often
mean-spirited campaign has demeaned the
political process. It is time for a course cor-
rection and Bill Clinton is the best-
qualified of the two challengers to assume
the task.
In a perfect world, Mr. Clinton would not
be our first choice. He has at times been all
too adept at sidestepping direct questions
and taking full responsibility for past ac-
tions. Still, he has much to recommend
him. Moreover, both Mr. Bush and Ross
Perot also have much to explain. Mr. Bush
appears to have been less than forthcoming
concerning his role in what now looks like
a coverup of the Reagan-Bush Iran-Contra
affair. Mr. Perot needs to provide much
greater detail about how he might put into
effect the massive change in substance as
well as style that he says is needed — and
which we do not in theory disagree with —
to once again make government work for
the people.
The presidential election of 1992, as with
most campaigns, has been largely about
domestic issues, despite Republican efforts
to recast it as a referendum on Mr. Clin-
ton's character. Mr. Clinton clearly is the
stronger of the candidates here. Mr. Bush
offers nothing but a James Baker quick fix,
and an equally lame insistence that things
aren't as bad as most voters seem to believe
they are.
Mr. Perot, as cute as he may be, is little
more than a latter-day Will Rogers. It's one
thing to be a billionaire populist — if such
a creature can truly exist — able to manip-
ulate the theater of TV. It's quite another
to work with Congress and heads of foreign
nations who are not so easily amused. On
too many issues, Mr. Perot is a big question
mark, rendering him unfit to serve as pres-
ident.
In Arkansas, a relatively poor state, Mr.
Clinton has shown himself to be an able
leader. Yes, he pushed through some tax
inceases (but nowhere near the 128 that
the Bush campaign has falsely advertised).
But Mr. Clinton also succeeded in making
his state's tax code more progressive and
much of the increased tax revenues went
toward upgrading Arkansas' abysmally
poor public education system. The last cou-
ple of years, he has led Arkansas to the
best record of any state in the nation in
creating new jobs.
Mr. Clinton also emerged as a guber-
natorial leader on welfare reform, while
staking out a position that gives him a
much better chance than either of his op-
ponents to effectively deal with the enor-
mous problems facing our cities — crime,
race relations and minority inclusiveness,
a domestic arena every bit as crucial to the
future of this nation as is the economy. Yet
during the campaign, Mr. Clinton demon-
strated a willingness to stand up to ex-
tremists, as he did when he took on the
rabble-rousing rap singer Sister Souljah.
The same cannot be said for Mr. Bush, who
turned the GOP convention stage over to the
likes of Patrick Buchanan and his call for a
"religious war."
Mr. Clinton is also pro-choice and against
mandatory school prayer, and his plan for
government-sponsored national health care
is a step in the right direction, although he
has yet to provide critical details.
As for the future, whoever wins the elec-
tion eventually will be forced to raise taxes
if the national $4 trillion deficit is to be se-
riously addressed. There simply is no other
way around it. However, Mr. Clinton's
natural sympathies appear to favor the
middle and lower classes and we trust him
more to judiciously institute new tax poli-
cies that will impact hardest those who can
most afford it. Mr. Bush, however, is a
trickle-down apologist who has consistent-
ly sought to protect this nation's
wealthiest.
As strong a suit as foreign policy has
been for Mr. Bush, here again he takes a
back seat to Mr. Clinton when the issue is
viewed through the narrow prism of Jew-
ish concerns. Mr. Clinton is an ideological-
ly committed supporter of Israel, unlike
Mr. Bush, who may best be described as an
amoral pragmatist.
Mr. Clinton recognizes Jerusalem as the
undivided capital of Israel. Mr. Bush views
Jerusalem as another piece of occupied ter-
ritory, its fate to be determined during the
peace process. To even consider to divide the
city again is unacceptable.
As for Mr. Perot, here again he is a total
unknown, despite his having said that
Israel is an important, strategic U.S. ally.
Then there is the question of vice presi-
dential running mates. Mr. Clinton has the
decided advantage on this score with Sen.
Al Gore of Tennessee, who stands head and
shoulders above Vice President Dan
Quayle. Mr. Gore, who shares Mr. Clin-
ton's domestic and foreign views, has a
grasp of the importance of the environment
— the issue that could come to overshadow
all others — far in excess of anyone else on
the three tickets. James Stockdale, mean-
while, as courageous and honorable as he
may be, is in no way qualified to be a
heartbeat away from the Oval Office.
This election is about change. Bill Clin-
ton and Al Gore provide more hope that a
new world order can truly be achieved than
do Bush-Quayle or Perot-Stockdale. They
are young, bright, moderate, resourceful
and forward thinking. They are the can-
didates who are best suited to lead the
nation for the immediate future and to
safeguard Jewish concerns.
Dry Bones
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Sinai's Ties
To Federation
The expensively printed
booklet, "The Annual Report
of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit/1992"
which was enclosed in the
Oct. 9 issue of The Jewish
News listed many organiza-
tions with which the average
contributor is unfamiliar as
recipients of grants from the
Federation.
Why couldn't their purposes
and functions, and addresses,
be stated in the budget,
rather than only their
names?
Sinai Hospital of Detroit
received $150,000.
In an article several weeks
ago in your paper it was
reported that the annual
Heritage Ball, which brought
in $400,000 to Sinai last year,
was cancelled at Federation's
request.
This seems rather strange.
If Sinai receives $150,000
from the Federation, and re-
jects $400,000, there is a net
loss of $250,000.
Since Sinai Hospital has
been an independent organi-
zation for some time now —
its officers elect themselves
and therefore are not accoun-
table to the Jewish communi-
ty as it was when it was
founded — why should it ac-
cept Federation rules?
Lawrence Silverman
Detroit
Letter Found
Lost Family
I recently requested you to
publish my letter in order to
attempt to find my grand-
father's sister, Sadie Koff. My
only clue was she married a
Greenberg and lived at some
time in the Detroit area.
I'm still on cloud nine
because Sadie Koff Green- cL
berg's son and his wife,
residents of Farmington Hills,
noticed the title and read the
Oct. 9 letter. They immediate-
ly realized that the letter was
talking about his mother and
her mother-in-law and we
have therefore connected.
My grandfather's sister,
Sadie Koff Greenberg, is alive
and robust at age 91 and is a
resident of Southfield.
There is no way to tell you
how much I appreciate the act :1
of kindness you exhibited by
publishing my letter.
Steven A. Abrams '—
Van Nuys, Calif
Jim Baker
And Israel
Thank you for Arthur J.
Magida's most enlightening
article, "Was Jim Baker Anti-
Israel at Princeton?" (Sept.
25).
It confirmed my worst fears
that Jim Baker, even 40 years
ago, believed that the State of
Israel had no right to even
exist.
I hope that all who care so
deeply about the survival of,
Israel will do everything
possible to keep this man
from such a powerful position.
Diane Cleere
Dearborn
Marvin Berman
And Fresh Air
I am disappointed and
greatly disturbed by the re-
cent firing of Marvin Berman
by the Fresh Air Society. Just
think, after 31 years of
devoted, hard work to make
the best possible camp in the
country, he is rewarded by be-
ing fired.
BERMAN/page 8