From: harelb@MATH.CORNELL.EDU (misc.activism.progressive Auto-Poster)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: THE OCTOBER SURPRISE: "Where Was George?" (part 2: the Media White-Wash)
Date: 19 Aug 92 06:42:08 GMT
Organization: misc.activism.progressive on UseNet ; ACTIV-L@UMCVMB


    "As a young lawyer I quickly learned that when the law is against
    you, argue the facts. And when the facts are against you, argue
    the law. And when the law and the facts are against you, attack
    your opponent."
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
    "The interesting thing about the press conference," he con-
    tinued, "is that Bush personally denied his personal involvement
    and he attacked me for impugning motives to him that were to-
    tally unworthy. What was missing was any statement at all about
    the broader issues of whether such a deal was done. I think that
    is really surprising. If there is no deal, why not say so?"
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
   -->  [Send the 1-line message GET WHEREWAS GEORGE ACTIV-L to  ] 
        [LISTSERV@UMCVMB.BITNET for a copy of this file.         ] 
   -->  [Send GET ACTIV-L ARCHIVE ACTIV-L to above address for a ] 
        [listing with brief descriptions of other files available] 
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

                    ============================= 
                    T H E   F I R S T   S T O N E 
                    ============================= 
                           By Joel Bleifuss 
                   In These Times, May 15-21, 1991 
		   [See bottom for free issue info]


		    =============================
		    [ c o n t i n u a t i o n : ]
		    =============================

SICK SPINS: Concurrent with this attempt to cover the president 
is a campaign to smear Cary Sick. 

It was Sick, a veteran of both the Ford and Carter White 
Houses, whose April 15 op-ed piece in the New York Times gave 
"official" legitimacy to the story of the alleged 1980 deal. 

One of the main ways Sick's credibility has been attacked is by 
associating his account with that of former Reagan White House 
defector Barbara Honegger. 

In early 1987, In These Times received a long article on the al- 
leged 1980 deal written by Honegger, who served as White House 
policy analyst until 1982. In her story, Honegger, employing an 
untenable combination of fact and intuitive interpretation, laid 
out details of the 1980 deal -- and much more. While we found 
Honegger's central thesis credible, we could not substantiate all 
of her allegations. So we assigned staff writer Jim Naureckas to 
work with her. In These Times published the portion of her story 
that could be confirmed on June 24,1987. The entire version of 
Honegger's story can be found in her 1989 book _October Surprise_. 

In the Washinglon Post, Lippman quoted a Los Angeles Times 
review of Honegger's book, saying that parts of it were "on par 
with the accounts of political events favored by paranoid cult- 
ists." Lippman admitted that Sick's account is "harder to dismiss," 
but he stirred the pot with, "Brenneke, who got some of his infor- 
mation from [Barbara] Honegger, who got some of hers from 
Bani-Sadr, who also talked to Sick, was acquitted." 

The Washingon Times' John Elvin did a similar job on Sick in 
his "Inside the Beltway" column. On May 1, he wrote: "Defenders 
of Mr. Sick point to a previous 'October Surprise' book by former 
White House staffer Barbara Honegger as further evidence of a 
conspiracy. But Miss Honneger's credentials are dubious, as _Human 
Events_ newspaper notes this week, dating to her proclamation that 
she heard voices telling her to go to Washington to play a major 
role in the women's movement. She later quit the administration in 
a flaming feminist fury, but not before becoming legendary for ap- 
earing at White House functions in a bunny suit." 

	[Honneger wrote a letter back to In These Times pointing out
	the bunny suit was a one-time special in which other
	righ-ranking people in the admin. were encouraged to and did
	wear costumes, or something to that effect; not exactly the
	context given in "Human Events" to say the least -- the
	"voices" are on par with the "bunny accusation" although that
	some of her allegations are unconfirmed/able and due to her
	wanting to piece everything together her way (remember: she
	*used* to be a person campaigning for Reagan/Bush!) may be tru
	-- Harel]

The next day, Elvin followed up with a dash of redbaiting. "And 
who is Gary Sick anyway?" he wrote. "A booster of the National 
Security Archive .... [which] has personnel and philosophical links 
to the Marxist-oriented Institute for Policy Studies." Elvin told me 
he "spun" this story with the aid of someone at an unnamed con- 
servative think tank. 

It was perhaps these words from Elvin that inspired Bush to 
say at his May 8 press conference, "I am really turned off by all 
this, and I'm really disappointed in this Mr. Sick, whoever he is." 

Within an hour of Bush's attack, I spoke to Sick. "I'm not sur- 
prised at all," he said. "When I wrote the story, I fully anticipated 
there would be attacks on me. It is not a pleasant thing, but in 
the end I'm not the story." 

"The interesting thing about the press conference," he con- 
tinued, "is that Bush personally denied his personal involvement 
and he attacked me for impugning motives to him that were to- 
tally unworthy. What was missing was any statement at all about 
the broader issues of whether such a deal was done. I think that 
is really surprising. If there is no deal, why not say so?" 

Sick said he soon expects more revelations about the alleged 
1980 deal. ""There are a number of good reporters who are begin- 
ning to look at this story seriously," he said. 

When that happens, Sick said, it will be the substance of the 
story that makes the news, not attacks on his credibility. 

Tom Blanton, deputy director of the National Security Archive, 
said such attacks call to mind a famous quote by the late Demo- 
cratic Sen. Sam Ervin, who said, "As a young lawyer I quickly 
learned that when the law is against you, argue the facts. And 
when the facts are against you, argue the law. And when the law 
and the facts are against you, attack your opponent." 


******************************************************************
Info on In These Times (if you call the number, I think you need to 
ask for "In These Times" first. Explain, if you call rather than 
sending a fax. below of their card, that this is to take up their 
offer included in the "send me a free issue" card enclosed with each 
issue.) 
******************************************************************
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(312)472-5700 

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put on the back of this "postcard" is:  In These Times 
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Or call In These Times Customer Service at... 
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