Edited and managed by students at the
University of Michigan
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual
opinions of the author. This must be noted in all reprints.
TUESDAY, MAY 23, 1972 News Phone: 764-0552
NIGHT EDITOR: ROBERT BARKIN
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR: ARTHUR LERNER
ASSISTANT NIGHT EDITOR: NANCY ROSENBAUM
PHOTO TECHNICIAN: GARY VILLANI
D.C. anti-war ritual
SUNDAY'S AND YESTERDAY'S semi-annual rerun of
"War Protest in Washington" had nothing out-of-the
ordinary to either commend or condemn it.
The basic thing to be said is merely that maybe one
day they won't have to rerun this particular protest any
more. Maybe.one day there won't be a war to protest.
This action had all the usual components-peaceful
marchers, non-peaceful protesters, police, arrests, tear
gas, the attempted storming of a government building.
And, as usual, nobody won. Sort of like the war.
The 10,000 peaceful marchers who walked down
Pennsylvania Ave. Sunday had their peaceful dignified
protest, but as usual, nobody much was around to listen
or care, on a Washington weekend afternoon. They didn't
stop the war.
The few hundred-person anti-imperialist faction that
broke off to perform 'revolutionary action' drew more
attention, but they also drew the heavy hand of D.C.
Metro police, complete with gas cannisters, clubs and
arrest forms. They didn't stop the war, either.
Nor did the war stop when about 500 people yesterday
tried to shut down the Pentagon. It was the first attempt
to shut down the Virginia defense department citadel in
several years, but it didn't differ much from more recent
attempts to shut down more convenient government
buildings.
AS THE WAR was not stopped by the protesters, so
were the protesters not stopped by the police. Tear
gas, clubs, mounted attacks on pedestrian demonstrators,
and the arrest of about 400 people total did not stop this
year's batch from spreading their feelings across news-
papers; just as police violence did not stop last year's
demonstrators, and will not stop next year's.
The whole thing is becoming all too commonplace.
It is, of course, a matter of public debate as to whether
the "War Protest in Washington" crowds have served to
alert the public and the administration(s) of anti-war
sentiment in past years.
It is also a matter of debate which protest form is
most successful. Three well-known scenarios ran this
week-the Mass Peaceful March, the Small-Group Street-
fight, and the Suicidal Attack on a Government Building.
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, perhaps such protests-of all
three forms-should continue.
But, as bombing continues, as Indochina continues to
be torn up for an action which has run almost two decades
now, it sometimes doesn't seem worth that much.
-TAMMY JACOBS
-------4
WASHINGTON -- One of the
terrible ironiesaof the George Wal-
lace shooting is that, of all the
candidates, the Alabama governor
was the most fearful of an as-
sassination attempt. For years,
Wallace has spoken from behind a
600-pound bulletproof lectern. In
the current campaign, he aug-
mented the security provided by
the Secret Service with a squad of
his own personal bodyguards.
While campaigning in Wiscon-
sin recently the governor's fear
of physical danger became par-
ticiularly acute. Every public
figure receives threats but, in
Milwaukee, Wallace took special
precautions because of the threats
on his life. Aside from his usual
security force, he hired an extra
dozen Milwaukee city policemen.
On one visit to a television stu-
dio, he had no fewer than three
dozen bodyguards. They formed
a human cordon from the curb
to the door, Then Wallace leaped
from his car and literally sprint-
ed into the building.
By \the time Wallace reached
Maryland, his fears had subsided.
Maryland had always been strong
Wallace country and the crowds
were generally friendly in the
Washington suburbs. So the gov-
ernor felt safe in stepping out
from, behind his podium to
mingle briefly with the voters. It
was all the time his assailant
needed.
The final ironic twist, of course,
is that the suspect in the shoot-
ing is from Milwaukee.
CONNALLY'S MISSION
Official and unofficial Wash-
ington is asking why John Con-
nally left the Cabinet and what
his next move is.
President Nixon and Connally
have become intimate friends
during Connally's term as Secre-
tary of the Treasury. Both are
political operators and back-
room infighters. They speak the
same political language. They
have spent hours together discus-
sing high strategy and low poli-
tics.
During the President's pil-
grimage to Peking, he offered the
Connallys his vacation home in
Key Biscayne, Fla. The only
bash he has attended at a cab-
inet member's home was Con-
nally's barbecue down in Texas.
Intimates tell me that Nixon
and Connally in their private
political bull sessions agreed that
Connally could do the President
more good as a Democrat than a
Republican during the presiden-
tial campaign. They agreed that
Connally should rosivn and cam-
pai n as a Democrat for Nixon's
re-election.
Connally's main mission will be
to try to woo the Lyndon Johnson
faction of the Democatic party in-
to the Nixon camp. Johnson him-
self has indicated privately that
he will not abandon the party that
made him president. However, he
would be less than enthusiastic
about supporting George McGov-
ern. Nixon and Connally believe
it is now likely that McGovern
will win the Democratic nomina-
tion,
They agreed, therefore, that
Connally should lead the drive to
persuade disaffected Democratic
conservatives to vote for Nixon.
The President promised Connally
in return any position he wishes
in the next Nixon administration,
What Connally would really like
is the Vice Presidency which
could be a stepping stone to the
White House itself. Connally has
confided to intimates that he
would have no chance of ever
gaining the Democratic presiden-
tial nomination. Therefore, he
must work through the Republi-
can party.
The President would have dif-
ficulty, however, dumping Spiro
Agnew who has become a hero
to the Republi an conservatives.
The same people who are voting
for George Wallace also like Spiro
Agnew. It is unlikely, therefore,
that, the President will be able to
replace Agnew with his friend
Connally.
Washington observers predict,
therefore, that Connally will work
hard to rally Lyndon Johnson
Democrats behind Nixon in No-
vember. As a reward, Connally
will return to the Cabinet as Sec-
retary of State.
SECRET BUILD-UP
President Nixon has made a
public show of 'continuing to
withdraw American ground troops
from Vietnam. But he has kept
secret the extent of the Ameri-
can naval and air build-up.
At the same time that more
ground troops are coming out, we
can report that the President has
sent 10 squadrons of war planes,
including F-4 Phantom fighter
bombers and giant B-52 bombers
to Thailand for use against the
North Vietnamese. Six of the
eight carriers, assigned to the Pa-
cific Fleet, are also now operat- a
ing in North Vietnamese waters,
Two guided missile cruisers, a
squadron of destroyers and a
half-dozen destroyer escorts have
also been sent to the combat area.
The total naval armada off the
Vietnamese coast has now sur-
passed 60 ships. This includes a
combat task force with American
Marines who are ready on a few
hours notice to make amphibious
landings.
-INTELLIGENCE NOTES-
* A rift has developed between
Communist China and its most
faithful satellite, Albania. The Al-
banians have lost their clout at
the United Nations since they no
longer can speak for China. This
has caused a noticeable cooling in
relations between the Albanian
and Chinese diplomats. The disaf-
fection has been heightened by
Peking's more moderate tone in
World affairs. Peking has toned
down its support of ultra-left ex-
tremists who are attempting to
stir up new Vietnams in nations
around the world. Albania, in con-
trast, remains as hawkish as ever.
. The Navy quietly practiced
mine-laying exercises in San Di-
ego harbor three weeks before
President Nixon ordered the min-
ing of Haiphong harbor. San Di-
ego's harbor was chosen for the
exercises because of its resem-
blance to the Haiphong port area.
" Tanks, artillery pieces and
other heavy equipment have been
rushed to South Vietnam from
American repair and supply de-
pots. Yet American military ad-
visers have reported that the
South Vietnamese teams aban-
doned tanks and guns in excel-
lent condition to the attacking
North Vietnamese.
" Jordan's Foreign Minister,
Abdullah Salah, was roughed up
the other day by the son of one
of King Hussein's generals. The
young hothead callad Salah a
"dirty Palestinian" and physical-
ly assaulted him. The ruffled Sa-
lah immediately submitted his
resignation.
(Copyright, 1972, by United
Feature Syndicate, Inc.)
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