Word: nunne
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Even NATO responded to his reach. In 1984 Nunn proposed cutting American troop strength in Europe as a way of forcing the allies to contribute more to the common defense. That threat, says former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger, "had beneficial effects." Today, with the Europeans enthralled by Mikhail Gorbachev's peace overtures, Nunn's views have changed. "I wouldn't introduce the same kind of legislation now," he says, "and I don't & favor driving the Germans to the wall on ((modernizing the short-range)) Lance missile. There are ways to keep the nuclear deterrent alive in Europe without getting...
Closer to home, Nunn virtually echoes Secretary of State James Baker's willingness to deal with Moscow in Central America. "Reagan pretended that the hemisphere is ours," says Nunn, "but the reality is that the Soviets are already major players in Cuba and Nicaragua. There's nothing wrong with acknowledging that reality and trying to fashion a policy that ties Moscow's need for Western credits to a diminution of their support for Castro and the Sandinistas...
...Nunn's other passion is his proposal to create a Citizens Corps. The plan would have young people work at community jobs -- or serve in the military -- in exchange for education grants of $10,000 to $12,000 for each year of service. "We have to restore a sense of civic obligation," says Nunn. "Today everything is considered an entitlement." Nunn's national-service proposal has been criticized for discriminating against the poor, a charge Nunn finds "ridiculous . . . The current system isn't working. The dropout rates are horrendous, and $10,000 is more than almost every student could hope...
...this adds up to a presidential run in 1992, it will not be the first time Nunn has clashed with George Bush -- or the second, considering that the fight over John Tower has been cast as a Bush-Nunn feud. In 1975, when President Ford selected Bush to head the CIA, Nunn and Senator Henry Jackson were concerned that Ford was helping Bush audition for a future vice- presidential race, perhaps even with Ford on the '76 ticket. "We felt strongly that the CIA shouldn't be used that way," says Nunn, and "we forced Bush to renounce his ambition...
...first, Bush swore that he would "take no part, directly or indirectly, in any partisan political activity of any kind." But that didn't satisfy Nunn and Jackson. They demanded a more explicit promise. Finally, and over Bush's objections, Ford sent Congress a letter ruling out Bush as a potential vice- presidential candidate. "Yeah, we beat him back then," says Nunn, "but you notice where he's sitting today." As for '92 and an ultimate Bush-Nunn face-off, that could make the present skirmish look like child's play...