The Clothes Have No Emperor Part 22

2/22/87.

Oliver North's secretary, Fawn Hall who has been granted immunity admits helping her boss destroy doc.u.ments last November.

2/24/87.

"I'd like to ask one question of everybody. Everybody that can remember what they were doing on August 8th of 1985, raise your hand. I think it's possible to forget. n.o.body's raised any hands."

--President Reagan, who would doubtless have gotten a different response from reporters had he asked, more pertinently, "Everybody that would remember approving the sale of arms to an enemy nation, raise your hand"

2/26/87.

Pledging to "carefully study" it over the next several days, the President accepts his copy of the Tower Commission Report, which: *Blames Regan for "the chaos that descended upon the White House"

*Says Shultz and Weinberger "simply distanced themselves from the program"

*Concludes that Casey "appears to have been informed in considerable detail"

*Euphemistically attacks Reagan's ignorance and sloth by faulting his "personal management style."

A paperback edition is an instant best seller.

2/27/87.

Donald Regan storms out of the White House after hearing on CNN that Howard Baker is replacing him. Nancy Reagan, believed to have leaked the story to humiliate Regan, says she is "pleased" with the change, which takes Baker out of the 1988 presidential race and allows him as many observers note to be President now.

2/28/87.

"When a national security adviser to the President attempts to commit suicide, when a secretary to a top presidential aide says she shredded and altered important White House doc.u.ments, when the President says he can't remember if he authorized shipping arms to Iran and then changes his story, all of this becomes very disturbing to people."

--Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart 2/28/87.

New York Times: REAGAN'S IGNORANCE SHOCKED TOWER COMMISSION MARCH 1987.

3/1/87.

"We do not regard him as a mental patient. But we regard him as a President who didn't do his job."

--Tower Commission member Edmund Muskie on the Reagan "management style"

3/1/87.

"The record is that he was either absent or silent. I don't know what that does for him."

--Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) attacking presidential rival George Bush's ineffectiveness in the Iran-contra scandal 3/1/87.

"Two things keep dynamic, complex societies like ours together: the strength of the leader's word and the reasonable rule of law. Here our leaders have forfeited credibility and flouted the rule of law. No matter what else you say, it's sad and dangerous."

--Mario Cuomo on the Tower Commission Report 3/2/87.

A New York Times New York Times/CBS News poll shows that less than a quarter of the public thinks the President is running his own government. Howard Baker rejects this perception. "I have never seen Ronald Reagan more energetic, more fully engaged and more in command of difficult circ.u.mstances and questions," he burbles. "He has never been better."

3/2/87.

Columnist William Safire writes of Nancy Reagan's ouster of Donald Regan, "At a time he most needs to appear strong, President Reagan is being weakened and made to appear wimpish and helpless by the political interference of his wife."

At a speech to the American Camping a.s.sociation, the First Lady says, "I don't think most people a.s.sociate me with leeches or how to get them off. But I know how to get them off. I'm an expert at it."

3/4/87.

President Reagan responds to the Tower Commission with a 12-minute speech in which he: *Acknowledges that the Iran-contra affair "happened on my watch" (though no one has suggested otherwise) *Says n.o.bler aims of long-term peace "deteriorated ... into trading arms for hostages"

*Calls the deal "a mistake" (though one that resulted from his excessive concern for the hostages).

As for his "management style," the problem was that "no one kept proper records of meetings or decisions," which led to his inability to recall approving the arms shipment. "I did approve it," says the President. "I just can't say specifically when." Lest anyone remain unnerved, he adds, "Rest a.s.sured, there's plenty of record-keeping now going on at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."

Says Indiana senator Dan Quayle after the speech, "The Gipper's back."

3/5/87.

The Oliver North media stakeout which has daily recorded the self-righteous Marine as, seat belt fastened, he drives off to work asks his reaction to the Reagan speech. "If you came all the way out to Great Falls to find somebody to play President-bashing with," he says, "you came to the wrong driveway."

3/6/87.

Lobbyist Michael Deaver's last foreign client, the Saudi government, declines to renew its $500,000 contract. Lawyer Randall Turk says his client "wasn't able to perform a whole lot of services ... Anybody who Deaver talked to got interviewed by the FBI."

3/6/87.

Vice President Bush says he's "catching the d.i.c.kens" from friends for not preventing the Iran arms deal.

3/6/87.

"The business that I used to be in said, 'Save something for the third act.' And we will."

--President Reagan boarding a helicopter for a weekend at Camp David 3/6/87.

TV evangelist Jim Bakker's wife Tammy Faye announces that she is currently undergoing treatment for her 17-year prescription drug addiction at the Betty Ford Center. She claims she didn't know she had a problem until she saw people and cats on the wing of an airplane.

3/10/87.

Asked about the Iran-contra scandal at a photo opportunity, President Reagan feigns laryngitis. "I lost my voice," he says, grinning. "I can't talk."

3/11/87.

Asked again about Iran-contra, President Reagan again feigns laryngitis. "I've lost my voice," he says. Explains Marlin Fitzwater, "This is a new tactic of his."

3/14/87.

Sources reveal that, despite his recent speech, President Reagan still sees nothing wrong with the Iran arms deal. Says a GOP strategist, "I bet that if you get him aside and put a beer into him, he'd say he didn't make a mistake."

3/15/87.

Interviewing Vice President Bush on 60 Minutes 60 Minutes, Diane Sawyer raises the issue of what reporter Michael Kramer has called "the wimp factor." Kramer, says Bush, will "never play linebacker for the Chicago Bears. You ever seen him?" Sawyer brings up George Will's "lapdog" quote. Will, says Bush, will "never play linebacker for the Chicago Bears. Have you ever seen seen him?" As proof of his own non-wimpdom, he cites having been "shot down two months after my 20th birthday, fighting for my country? I didn't detect any wimp factor there." him?" As proof of his own non-wimpdom, he cites having been "shot down two months after my 20th birthday, fighting for my country? I didn't detect any wimp factor there."

3/17/87.

Calling it "a risk that has to be a.s.sumed," Marlin Fitzwater announces that President Reagan will hold a press conference in two days. Says Reagan, "I'm looking forward to it."

3/18/87.

Michael Deaver is indicted on five counts of perjury. He is the seventh senior Administration official to be indicted, and the first under the provisions of the 1978 Ethics in Government Act.

3/18/87.

Sen. Alan Simpson (R-WY) lashes out at the press after an audacious reporter disturbs a photo opportunity by asking President Reagan a question. "You're not asking him things so you can get answers," he says. "You're asking him things because you know he's off-balance and you'd like to stick it in his gazoo." The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times erroneously reports the word as "bazoo." erroneously reports the word as "bazoo."

3/19/87.

At his first press conference in four months, President Reagan who yesterday couldn't wait for his rehearsal to end so he could tell a dirty joke about a chimpanzee and a bus crash a.s.sures the public that he won't be forgetting any more important things because "we now have quite a system installed of people taking notes, you know, at all our meetings and all our doings." As for his shattered credibility, he declares that he's "not going to tell falsehoods to the American people. I'll leave that to others."

And what else did he say? "... I don't know ... I don't know whether we would have gotten more out ... I don't know. I wouldn't be surprised if he was ... I did not know at that time that there was any money involved. I only knew that ... All we'd learned ... Helen, I don't know. I only know that ... All that I know ... Sam, all I know is that ... I can't remember just when ... There are other people that don't remember either ... I did not know that I had said it in such a way ... I didn't realize that I had said that ... We didn't know ... I didn't know how far we could go ... I still do not have the answer ... It was a complete surprise to me ... We're still waiting for that to be explained ... I don't know ... I don't know ..."

3/19/87.

The Charlotte Observer reports that TV evangelist Jim Bakker paid $115,000 to hush up a 1980 s.e.xual encounter with then-21-year-old church secretary Jessica Hahn. Bakker admits the charge, claiming that he was set up by former colleagues, and resigns for what he expects will be a brief period of penitence. The multi-million dollar PTL ("People That Love" / "Praise The Lord") empire, which includes South Carolina's Heritage USA theme park, is taken over at his request by Rev. Jerry Falwell, whose fundamentalist contempt for the charismatic Pentecostalism of the PTL was summed up in his observation that people who speak in tongues "ate too much pizza last night." reports that TV evangelist Jim Bakker paid $115,000 to hush up a 1980 s.e.xual encounter with then-21-year-old church secretary Jessica Hahn. Bakker admits the charge, claiming that he was set up by former colleagues, and resigns for what he expects will be a brief period of penitence. The multi-million dollar PTL ("People That Love" / "Praise The Lord") empire, which includes South Carolina's Heritage USA theme park, is taken over at his request by Rev. Jerry Falwell, whose fundamentalist contempt for the charismatic Pentecostalism of the PTL was summed up in his observation that people who speak in tongues "ate too much pizza last night."

3/24/87.

Alexander Haig throws his "helmet into the ring" and announces his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. Though his total lack of a const.i.tuency gives him no chance of winning, he seems delighted simply to have a forum from which to skewer his bete noire, George Bush.

3/24/87.

"I've always been sort of partial to a big finish. You should have a good third-act curtain."

--President Reagan addressing a group of business executives 3/24/87.

Rival TV preacher Jimmy Swaggart admits initiating the investigation of Jim Bakker's s.e.xual misconduct.

3/27/87.

Jessica Hahn says her s.e.xual encounter with Jim Bakker, which she blames on drugged wine, made her feel "like a piece of hamburger somebody threw out in the street." Bakker responds that she was the aggressor, and that, despite her claims of innocence, she knew "all the tricks of the trade."

3/27/87.

"Nice to see you, Mr. Amba.s.sador."

--President Reagan greeting British Labor Party leader Denis Healey, while the actual amba.s.sador who he has met stands nearby 3/30/87.

"My friends, we're not about to fall on the ball and wait for the clock to run out. Instead, we're going to have the greatest fourth quarter in presidential history."

--President Reagan delivering a pep talk to staffers APRIL 1987.

4/1/87.

A White House official admits that President Reagan has never discussed AIDS with Surgeon General C. Everett Koop and has yet to read Koop's six-month-old report, which predicted 180,000 deaths from the disease by 1991.

4/6/87.

"He also told me Tammy was very big and that he couldn't be satisfied by her. Those were his words exactly."

--Jessica Hahn in a 1985 statement describing how, as a virgin, she was raped by Jim Bakker, and then by their mutual friend, Rev. John Fletcher 4/6/87.

Convicted Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy begins a week-long stint as celebrity guest on Super Pa.s.sword Super Pa.s.sword.

4/6/87.

Dodger vice president Al Campanis appears on Nightline Nightline to discuss the progress of blacks in baseball 40 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Asked why there are no black managers in the major leagues, Campanis suggests that they may not be smart enough. "How many quarterbacks do you have?" he asks, "how many pitchers do you have, that are black?" Though he apologizes, he is fired after 43 years with the team. to discuss the progress of blacks in baseball 40 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Asked why there are no black managers in the major leagues, Campanis suggests that they may not be smart enough. "How many quarterbacks do you have?" he asks, "how many pitchers do you have, that are black?" Though he apologizes, he is fired after 43 years with the team.

4/6/87.

Former Gary Hart adviser John McEvoy tells Newsweek Newsweek that the candidate runs the risk of having the s.e.x issue raised "if he can't keep his pants on." that the candidate runs the risk of having the s.e.x issue raised "if he can't keep his pants on."

4/7/87.

Wall Street Journal: ATTORNEY GENERAL MEESE FACES RISING CRITICISM OVER HIS LEGAL ADVICE IN IRAN-CONTRA SCANDAL 4/8/87.

Ed Meese whose close ties to the princ.i.p.als in the growing Wedtech scandal have become increasingly public finally removes himself from the investigation.

4/9/87.

President Reagan tells reporters the Soviet bugging of the US emba.s.sy in Moscow was "outrageous." But, wasn't the US bugging of the Soviet emba.s.sy in Washington equally outrageous? The President says further discussion "wouldn't be useful."

4/13/87.

John W. Hinckley Jr. loses his bid for a 12-hour Easter pa.s.s after a search of his room turns up 20 photos of Jodie Foster and a psychiatrist reveals that he's established a pen-pal relationship with Florida Death Row inmate Ted Bundy.

4/13/87.

Gary Hart travels to a Colorado park where, standing alone on a big rock, he calls for a "higher standard of public ethics" as he announces for the presidency. "As a candidate," he promises, "I can almost guarantee that I'm going to make some mistakes."

4/15/87.

To the delight of Book of Revelations fans, Washington Post Washington Post reporter Lloyd Grove reveals that the address of the post-presidency home the Reagans' friends have bought for them in Bel Air is 666 St. Cloud. Though Nancy has the address changed to the less satanic 668, city doc.u.ments continue to list it as 666. reporter Lloyd Grove reveals that the address of the post-presidency home the Reagans' friends have bought for them in Bel Air is 666 St. Cloud. Though Nancy has the address changed to the less satanic 668, city doc.u.ments continue to list it as 666.

4/22/87.

Joe Hunt, leader of the Billionaire Boys Club a group of well-connected young men who want to make big bucks fast and aren't too choosy about how is convicted of first-degree murder in a bizarre revenge killing resulting from a bad business deal. Hunt suffers the further misfortune of being portrayed in the inevitable TV movie by the insufferable Judd Nelson.

4/23/87.