Dukakis talks tough on defence

Press, 15 September 1988, Page 6

Dukakis talks tough on defence

NZPA-Reuter Washington The Democratic Presidential candidate, Michael Dukakis, branded as naive on foreign and defence policy by his Republican rival, George Bush, is talking tough and trying to dispel any notions that he is a weakling. In an attempt to strengthen his posture on defence, he has scheduled a big military policy speech today at Georgetown University in Washington. The speech will cap three days of attacks on Vice-President Bush by Mr Dukakis during campaigning for the November 8 Presidential Election. Mr Dukakis has said he is tougher than the VicePresident, whose lack of judgment on key issues is exemplified by his refusal to oppose the secret arms-for-hostage deal with Iran. Aides said the Georgetown speech would stress the reasons why Mr Dukakis wants to build up American conventional forces, which he says have been weakened under eight years of President Reagan and Mr Bush.

“It’s going to be a strong national defence that doesn’t short-change on conventional forces,” Mr Dukakis said at a Sterling Heights, Michigan, plant that makes tanks. He hoped the Georgetown speech would sharpen a fuzzy image on defence matters as reflected in polls, where he has lost a dominant lead over Mr Bush since the Republican convention in August. A CBS News/“New York Times” poll showed Mr Bush eight percentage points ahead of Mr Dukakis in voter support at 47-39 per cent. Yesterday Mr Dukakis stressed that, despite Mr Bush’s characterisations of him, he would be tougher and better than Mr Bush in any negotiations with the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. In one of his strongest attacks,. the 54-year-old politican, who has had no national Government experience, questioned whether Mr Bush or his running mate, Dan Quayle, aged 41, could stand up to Mr Gorbachev. x.<*. .