University of Virginia Library

George Bush

'Political Process Is Loser' At Watergate

By LYNN STERN

Republican National
Committee Chairman George
Bush last night declared the
Watergate incident "grubby
business" in which "the
political process is the loser."

Citing "evidence of
caution" to Democrats who
believe that Watergate will
"wipe out" the Republican
Party, Mr. Bush expressed
confidence that the details of
the scandal would soon be
exposed to the public and the
matter resolved.

He emphasized that the
"issue in Watergate is not and
must not be covered "

Sympathy for Democrats

He also sympathized with
Democratic Party Chairman
Robert Strauss, stating that if
his party were as "fractured"
as the Democrats, he too
would capitalize on the
incident to bail out his party.

Mr. Bush stated his
assurance that "no matter what
happens, the criminal justice
system has a way of working.
At the same time, I say to you
let's be some what careful as we
deal in innuendo and hearsay,
that we cherish that
fundamental concept that a
person is innocent until proven
guilty."

Emphasizing his point that
"the Republican National
Committee is in no way
connected with the Watergate
incident," he expressed hopes
that the scandal does not

"decloud a very positive record
of an administration."

Mr. Bush discussed the
Nixon Doctrine in foreign and
domestic affairs, drawing a
parallel between the two
policies which both emphasize
"regional responsibility: less
entrance of American troops
into crises" internationally and
"encouragement of revenue
sharing domestically."

"The Nixon Doctrine is
something I support and
something I can believe in," he
said.

"The President has a
magnificent, almost
unparalleled record of sizing up
the realities of the world,"
which has shifted from a
bipolar to a multipolar system.

Impact of U.N.

As former U.S. Ambassador
to the United Nations, Mr.
Bush commented on the
impact of the U.N. in world
affairs.

He evaluated the
organization as "less than its
most idealistic founders thought
it would be and far more than
its severest critics ever would
dare admit that it is."

He believes that there is a
"certain unreality to the
political makeup" of the U.N.
because it is only successful
when the veto power of the
major nations is not
utilized.

U.N. Communication

Mr. Bush sees the U.N. as a
center for communication
between nations, pointing to
the Koreans who spoke to each
other for the first time since
the division of their country.

"Through communication
we minimize the chances of
misunderstanding," he
remarked, adding that
communication is something
which "you can't put a price
tag on."

According to Mr. Bush,
"our own selfish interest in this
country" is well served by
having a strong multilateral
effort in diplomacy through
the U.N., addressing itself to
the world's economic and
social problems."

The U.N. can intervene and
achieve results without being
resented. While, if the U.S.
tried to serve the same
function, other nations would
ignore its advice and consider it
meddlesome.

Mr. Bush sees the U.N. as a
vehicle to promote cooperation
in preventing drug traffic and
the world's "best hope" for
peace in the Middle East.

He warns, however, that
communication at the U.N. is
not enough to avert a future
crisis.

Mr. Bush graduated Phi
Beta Kappa from Yale
University. Originally from
Massachusetts, he moved to
Texas in 1948. He was the first
Republican Congressman in
Houston's history.