Notable Quotables - 07/11/1988

 

Iranian Air Disaster

 

"Don't we really owe two countries an apology tonight? One, of course, Iran, for killing 290 of their innocent civilians, and the other one, of course, the Soviet Union, for having accused them of a terrorist act when they did something remarkably similar to us several years ago?"
- The New Republic Editor Michael Kinsley on CNN's Crossfire, July 4.

"There are differences, but it's hard to escape the parallels. Both sides shot without clearly identifying the targets, and both sides blamed the civilian plane for being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
- Reporter Robert Schakne, CBS Evening News, July 4.

 

Reagan Record

 

"President Reagan was unfair to the poor."

"He was a rich man's President."

"He had a negative view on women's rights."

"He was unfair to blacks."

"He didn't know what he was doing."

"He was unfair to the middle class."

"He was unfair to old people."
- Statements people were asked to agree or disagree with in Washington Post/ABC News poll released June 30.

 

Bill Moyers

 

"When pressed to define American television at its best, I find myself frequently mentioning the name of Bill Moyers."
- New York Times television critic John O'Connor, June 27.

 

Glasnost

 

"It is a totally different world. Moscow is right now an open city. It is just as open as Washington, D.C."
- William Lord, former Executive Producer of ABC's World News Tonight, quoted in the Washington Post by Tom Shales.

"Reagan called them the Evil Empire, but they let him in. I just told it the way it is in movies. So much for glasnost."
- Rambo III star Sylvester Stallone after being denied access to East Berlin at the request of the Soviets.

 

Defense Spending

 

"It costs your household $21,000 dollars a year. That's what your household is sending to the Pentagon. These statistics, incidentally, do not come from any particular radical left or right-wing organization. This is from the Center for Defense Information."
- Phil Donahue, June 27.

"The Center for Defense Information (CDI), the favorite military and strategic think tank of disarmament activists, congressional liberals and isolationists."
- Michael Johns writing in the Spring Policy Review.

 

Campaign '88: Dukakis

 

"'I have a favorable view of him,' [Boston Globe] political reporter Chris Black says [of Michael Dukakis.] 'My outlook and ideology can't be divorced from my copy, but as a reporter I try to be dispassionate.' She says she occasionally drops an 'adjective or phrase' so her stories won't appear too favorable to Mr. Dukakis. Ms. Black expects the governor will win in November. 'I would love to come to Washington,' she says."
- Excerpt from Wall Street Journal story by Monica Langley. Quoted in the "Take Two" column, July Washington Journalism Review.

"It's a message that's neither liberal nor conservative in the traditional sense. It's a message that simply says it's time for a change."
- Reporter Bill Whittaker on Dukakis' campaign theme, July 1 CBS Evening News.

"Perhaps the greatest indicator of his moderate strategy will be his choice of a running mate. All the prime contenders come from the moderate wing of the Democratic Party."
- Whittaker, July 2.

"George Bush wants to convince voters that Michael Dukakis is a big spender who will raise taxes, coddle criminals, and disarm America. In other words, a 'liberal.' But does the dreaded 'L' word stick to Dukakis? Probably not."
- Newsweek table of contents summary of lead story in the July 4 issue.

"Dukakis cloaks crucial memos in jail site case"
- Washington Times, June 24.

"Dukakis Capitalizes on Governorship: Appearances Stress Executive Experience"
- Washington Post, same day.

"Economists call Dukakis fiscal policy indefensible"
- Washington Times story on Foundation for Economic Research report, July 5.

- Washington Post and New York Times: No story

 

Campaign '88: Bush

 

"Moments later, Atwater took a stage to blast 'Tax Hike Mike.' He twisted Dukakis' position on national defense, distorted the tale of how a convicted killer, Willie Horton, fled the Massachusetts furlough program, and he did his best to fulfill his reported vow to 'strip the bark off the little bastard.'"
- Boston Globe reporter John Aloysius Farrell, July 3.

"Republican strategists call Bush's hard line on taxes good politics...Good politics, but perhaps not good economics. Many experts believe that whoever is elected President will have to raise taxes to reduce the federal deficit."
- Reporter Lisa Myers, NBC Nightly News, June 29.

 

Nicaragua

 

"Sandinistas choke peace in its crib, group says"
- Washington Times page one story on Nicaraguan Permanent Commission on Human Rights report, June 20.

- Washington Post and New York Times: No story

 

- L. Brent Bozell III; Publisher
- Brent H. Baker, Tim Graham; Editors
- Jim Heiser, Richard Marois, Patrick Swan, Dorothy Warner; Media Analysts
- Cynthia Bulman; Administrative Assistant