Word: bentsen
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...wants to step up its intelligence gathering in advance of presidential trips, to spot potential killers and watch them. A five-man congressional committee, empowered to designate which presidential candidates have qualified for protection, last week ordered the Secret Service to begin guarding on Oct. 1 Henry Jackson, Lloyd Bentsen, Morris Udall and George Wallace...
...candidates shrugged off the urgency of such protection. "I don't need it," said Jackson. "Not at this stage," observed Bentsen. "Perhaps later, in the heat of a campaign, I might accept them [the agents]." On the other hand, Udall's wife Ella said she certainly wanted her husband guarded...
Mainly preoccupied with domestic matters, Bentsen has demonstrated no particular aptitude for foreign affairs. Generally, he goes along with his fellow Democrats' attacks on détente and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Though a hard-liner on defense, Bentsen often raps the Pentagon for sloppy analysis and wasteful spending, asking: "Can this country afford a $17 billion-a-year civilian defense payroll that is purely for support rather than combat purposes...
Full Portfolio. Bentsen has raised $1.5 million in campaign funds, more than any other candidate except George Wallace and Henry Jackson. He has also enlisted some impressive political support. While refraining from an outright endorsement, Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield has said that Bentsen has a full portfolio of presidential qualifications. Bentsen has been formally endorsed by Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards and by almost every important office holder in Virginia. He is expected to defeat Wallace handily in the Texas primary and to do well in other parts of the South...
...visibility elsewhere remains close to zero. Although he has been campaigning for the presidency since the fall of 1973, he has not been able to emerge from the growing cluster of candidates. Bentsen is still so far down in the preferential polls that he is not even listed. Less than 40% of the electorate know who he is-a statistic that nevertheless gives him some comfort. "A year ago, only 3% recognized my name," he says. "I consider that progress." His chief political adviser, Benjamin Palumbo, thought that was not sufficient progress. He urged Bentsen to speed up his campaign...