The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour; Republican Convention

MR. MacNeil: Good evening. Leading the news this Wednesday, Pakistani President Zia and the American Ambassador were killed in a plane crash. George Bush said Dan Quayle is qualified to be a heartbeat from the Presidency. U.S. and Soviet scientists carried out their first joint nuclear test in the Nevada Desert. We'll have details in our News Summary in a moment. Jim.

MR. LEHRER: After the News Summary, it's what do you think of Dan Quayle Day at the Republican Convention [Focus - '88 - Q&A], with the press's performance at today's Quayle/Bush news conference with reaction to reports on Republican Party activists by Judy Woodruff, and on the happy folk of Indiana, by Elizabeth Brackett [Focus - '88 - Selection Strategy], and an excerpt from a recent Newshour debate [Focus - '88 - Trading Shots] between Quayle and his Democratic Vice Presidential opponent Lloyd Bentsen, and laced through it all [Focus - '88- David Gergen & Mark Shields, Jon Margolis, R.W. Apple, Howard Fineman] with the analysis of our regulars, David Gergen and Mark Shields, plus that of Jon Margolis of the Chicago Tribune, R.W. Apple of the New York Times and Howard Fineman of Newsweek Magazine. We close with a Roger Mudd essay [Essay - '88 - Conventional Road] about calling the convention role.NEWS SUMMARY

MR. MacNeil: The President of Pakistan, military strongman Mohammad Zia ul-Haq was killed today when his plane exploded and crashed. Also killed was the American Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Raphel and a U.S. Army General, plus 20 of General Zia's top military chiefs. Zia seized power in a coup 11 years ago and has ruled Pakistan with a firm hand ever since. The C-130 transport reportedly exploded in the air shortly after taking off from Bahawalpur, near the Indian border. It crashed South of the City of Lahore. The plane carried 37 people and an official announcement said no one aboard survived. In Washington, State Department Spokesman Phyllis Oakley had this statement.

PHYLLIS OAKLEY, State Department Spokesperson: We are greatly saddened by this tragedy and convey our deepest condolences to the government and people of Pakistan, and the families of President Zia and all those who have died. We mourn the loss of Ambassador Raphel. The United States has lost one of its best diplomats and our grief goes out to his wife and his family. We have a long history of friendly and close cooperation with Pakistan. At this moment of extreme trial, I want to reiterate our commitment to Pakistan and our fullest support for the Acting President and his government.

MR. MacNeil: Rumors and unofficial support swept Pakistan, suggesting that India had shot down the aircraft, that it had been hit by a missile, that it had collided with a helicopter. None of them could be confirmed, but Acting President Ghulam Ishaq Khan said tonight that sabotage cannot be ruled out. Jim.

MR. LEHRER: Vice President George Bush and Sen. Dan Quayle met the press together for the first time today. The almost official Republican ticket took questions for almost 30 minutes at New Orleans hotel. Was Quayle qualified to be a heartbeat away from the President, was the first question for Bush.

VICE PRESIDENT BUSH: But in terms of being a heartbeat away, I've listened since I've named him as the likely nominee, since I've recommended to the national convention that he be nominated for that job, I've listened to his peers and the accolades from the Senators with whom he serves speak eloquently of Dan Quayle's standing to be one heartbeat away from the Presidency.

MR. LEHRER: There was an emotional moment at today's press conference that came when the Vice President was asked about a remark he made yesterday, introducing several of his grandchildren as "the little brown ones". Mr. Bush was referring to the children of one of his sons and his Mexican American daughter-in-law.

VICE PRESIDENT BUSH: Those grandchildren are my pride and joy. And when I say pride, I mean it. And anybody that has ever traveled with me or knows the heartbeat of the Bush family knows not only my sensitivity but my love for those children. And for anyone to suggest that that comment of pride is anything other than what it was, I find it personally offensive and P.S., I don't want to see these kids hurt. And they weren't hurt by what I said, and if they're hurt by misinterpretation, that isn't fair. And I don't like it, and this is my family and I'm going to protect them. And I'm delighted you raised it, because I have heard the question raised and this heart knows nothing but pride and love for those three children. And you're going to see them with me every inch of the way.

MR. LEHRER: We'll be running a larger section of that news conference right after the News Summary.

MR. MacNeil: The United States and the Soviet Union today carried out their first joint nuclear test under the Nevada Desert. A device equivalent to 150,000 tons of TNT was exploded 2200 feet below the surface and monitored by scientists of the two countries. The aim of the tests is to find mutually agreeable technology to monitor compliance with test limitation treaties. The second test is scheduled next month in the Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union, 17 people were killed and 167 injured when a train was derailed and engulfed by fire. Soviet media said the accident happened Tuesday night when the Aurora Express from Leningrad jumped the rails halfway in its journey to Moscow.

MR. LEHRER: Franklin Roosevelt, Jr. is dead. The son of the late President died this morning in a hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York. He suffered from lung cancer. He was an attorney and businessman who served three terms in Congress in the early 1950's. Franklin Roosevelt, Jr. was 74 years old. Today was his birthday. And that's it for the News Summary. Now extensive coverage and analysis of what do you think of Dan Quayle Day at the Republican National Convention and a Roger Mudd Essay. FOCUS - '88 - Q&A

MR. MacNeil: News at the Republican Convention in New Orleans today was dominated by the reaction to the selection of Indiana Sen. Dan Quayle to be George Bush's running mate. And we are going to track that story through the rest of the Newshour. With us are our regular analysts David Gergen and Mark Shields, and three journalists whose coverage of the story will help shape national opinion about Quayle's qualifications. We start with the questions the media threw at Vice President Bush and Sen. Quayle, when they held their first joint news conference this morning.

REPORTER: Can you really say to the nation today that Sen. Quayle, young and so relatively inexperienced, especially compared to you, sir, is prepared to be a heartbeat away from the President?

VICE PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes, I can. His record is outstanding. Yes, he's young, and that's a tremendous asset. He'll have broad appeal for the election, but in terms of being a heartbeat away, I've listened since I've named him as the likely nominee, since I've recommended to the National Convention that he be nominated for that job, I've listened to his peers, and the accolades from the Senators with whom he serves speak eloquently of Dan Quayle's standing to be one heartbeat away from the Presidency. Yes.

REPORTER: Senator, what makes you think you are qualified to become President in the event something unfortunate should happen to Mr. Bush? What is it that you have that would make you qualified?

SEN. QUAYLE: Well, I have spent 12 years in the Congress. I know as much about national security as anybody with few exceptions. I've worked hard particularly on the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Senate Armed Services Committee and my national security background gives me a very important background for if some accident would befall the President to have an understanding about what needs to be done to preserve the freedoms and the opportunities in this country.

REPORTER: What executive experience do you have?

SEN. QUAYLE: What experience do I have? I worked when I was going to law school in the Governor's office as administrative assistant. I worked in the Attorney General's office, and I also worked as the Director of the Inheritance Tax Division of Indiana. I was known as the chief grave robber of my state. I also was the Associate Publisher of the Hunting Herald Press, and I've met a payroll before. So I have a management and executive background as well.

REPORTER: Mr. Vice President, now that you've made your choice, what do you plan to do to narrow this tremendous gender gap that confronts you?

VICE PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, go to work, spell out my views on the issues. We've already started with a good agenda talking about child care for one, talking about education with specifics for another, spelled it out a little further with world peace, because I think the women of America are vitally interested in that, have a running mate who has a record of strong appeal to young people and to women voters in his state because of his record, and I think that will all come together. Right here.

REPORTER: It's clear Sen. Quayle will appeal to the right wing of your party and to conservatives. How does he help you to nail down that center part of the electorate, those people that are ideologically in the center?

VICE PRESIDENT BUSH: He helps me nationally by the same way he did it in Indiana. Take a look at the record in terms of votes, take a look at the standing in terms of voter acceptance today, the Governor telling me that Dan Quayle as a higher standing with the voters, Democrat and Republican than any other public figure in the State of Indiana, and that's how we do it. Right over here. Jerry and then Bob.

REPORTER: Mr. Vice President, there are some people who say you should have done more to try to balance your ticket, either have someone who is somewhat different than you or who offers something that you don't, sir. Did you take that into consideration?

VICE PRESIDENT BUSH: He's different from me. I'm 64 and he's 41. And that's good. That's positive, because his message of hope and opportunity, his record of job creation will resound and have great emphasis in those particular, in the areas of younger people, and I've demonstrated, I've already said that he has demonstrated his ability to get votes from women. So if we can convey nationally what he has demonstrated in one state, it'll be of enormous help to this ticket. Bob.

REPORTER: Why did you choose Sen. Quayle rather than Sen. Dole?

VICE PRESIDENT BUSH: It was a tough call. There were several men and women who would fit the criteria that I spelled out ahead of time, but I felt for the reasons I've given here that Dan Quayle is "the" best choice. Way back here.

REPORTER: Sen. Quayle, during the Iran/Contra hearings last summer, there was testimony that your office served as a meeting place for people like John Cole and Rob Owen, who were involved in Contra resupply during the Boland Amendment. Were you involved in the Contra fund-raising and resupply operation, and did you have any contact with Vice President Bush or his office about it?

SEN. QUAYLE: None. And the question is off base as far as any of those meetings going on.

VICE PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes.

REPORTER: Sen. Quayle, since this is family values campaign, I'm sure you're eager to clear up questions about your relationship with Paula Parkinson, the former lobbyist and Playboy model. I have a two part question. The first part is you have said that you went on a weekend with two Congressmen, one of whom brought her along, that you saw her only once and you played golf the rest of the time. First of all, sir, is that an accurate account?

SEN. QUAYLE: No.

REPORTER: Okay. Could you give us an accurate account.

SEN. QUAYLE: That has been covered and there's nothing to it.

REPORTER: You are going to lead the charge against the Democrats and words like pit bull have been used and so forth. Without using those words, is that true, are you going to be leading the charge against the Democrats?

SEN. QUAYLE: That's a new description. I am going to be working with the Vice President and campaigning and articulating a very positive agenda of the future, of family, and preserving our freedoms, and preserving our hope and opportunity. Now obviously I intend to point out what would happen if the party of McGovern, Carter, Mondale and Dukakis would somehow get back in power, I think it would be a disaster.

VICE PRESIDENT BUSH: Let me add since he addressed it to both of us. We're going to tell the truth and it's going to seem like you engaged a couple of pit bulls. Competence is important but ideology is very important, and we're going to be talking on both. Yes, two here in the front.

REPORTER: Graduating in 1969, the Vietnam era, you chose to go in the National Guard rather than to serve in Vietnam. Can you give us a little bit of what you were thinking during that time.

SEN. QUAYLE: Well, growing up in Huntington, Indiana, the first thing you think about is education. You think about what any small town person would think about, eventually growing up, raising a family. I was fortunate enough to be able to go on to law school, meet my wife, and blessed by three beautiful children. We're very happy, very content, and looking forward to a very exciting campaign. I did not know in 1969 that I would be in this room today I'll confess.

REPORTER: Why the National Guard rather than serving in the Army, the Marines, the Navy, or going to Vietnam?

SEN. QUAYLE: My brother and I, two years younger, both went into the service at the same time, about the same time. He went into the Marine Corps and I went into the National Guard. I went into the National Guard and I served six years there, 1969 through 1975.

VICE PRESIDENT BUSH: Yes. Last one. Last one.

REPORTER: Mr. Vice President, since you don't want the Republican Party to seem like a party of the rich for the rich, once again a question about personal finance, why pick another millionaire for a running mate?

VICE PRESIDENT BUSH: I picked the best man to be Vice President of the United States. It isn't a question of personal wealth. It's personal, how you keep this country going so more people can benefit by this, the longest recovery in history. It's those who care about others and his leadership in this Job Training Partnership Act, really something sensational. And so I don't think it's a question of personal wealth. If it were, the Democratic ticket would be in deep trouble too. Thank you all very very much.

MR. MacNeil: Joining us now from our facility at the convention hall are three influential political reporters, Howard Fineman of Newsweek Magazine, Jon Margolis of the Chicago Tribune, and R.W. Apple of the New York Times. Each man is the senior political reporter for his publication. And with us in our New Orleans studio are our analysts, David Gergen, Editor of U.S. News & World Report, and Mark Shields, Washington Post Syndicated Columnist. David, you said on this program last night the Quayle selection is not going to play well among the press. You mentioned feelings that he's too young, too inexperienced, maybe too light. Do the questions we've just heard and the coverage today bear that out?

DAVID GERGEN, U.S. News & World Report. I think they do. The coverage this morning and on television last night and this morning frankly has been pretty negative. There have been accusations of a stature gap, that he doesn't have the experience or the weight. He was called a caddy, a good caddy, by one prominent journalist today. Frankly, I think it's hard to find a journalist in this town, a serious journalist in this town today, who is high on Dan Quayle. They all like him personally. They question whether he's qualified to be Vice President and more particularly whether he's qualified to be President. I don't think that's determinative necessarily of how it will all play out in terms of campaign, but I do think he starts with a handicap.

MR. MacNeil: Johnny Apple, do you agree with that?

R. W. APPLE, New York Times: That's pretty sound judgment. I think that more than that journalists are having a tough time figuring out what Mr. Bush is up to. I don't accept the notion that young people tend to vote for young candidates. I don't accept the notion that women tend to vote for good looking candidates, and I don't think Dan Quayle is going to help in the Midwest. He'll probably help in Indiana, but that goes Republican anyway, except in disaster years like Landon's and Goldwater's. So it's hard for me to see just exactly what it is, Robin, that Mr. Bush has achieved by this selection.

MR. MacNeil: Howard Fineman, do you think it's going to continue to be a negative press for Sen. Quayle?

HOWARD FINEMAN, Newsweek: That depends on what Dan Quayle does. His judgment, or at least even his intelligence has been questioned. He's going to have a perfect opportunity in the next few days to put all those questions to rest. I'm not sure the press conference that he held today jointly with Vice President Bush that you showed excerpts of really helped him in that regard all that much. I don't think many of the questions Dan Quayle got were skillfully handled. I think he left as many questions unanswered as he did answer. But he's going to have time, and don't forget, this is his first day on the national stage, and he'll have to prove himself if he can.

MR. MacNeil: How do you think, Jon Margolis, he handled himself at the press conference?

JON MARGOLIS, Chicago Tribune: Well, he looked very good, but the trouble is he kept at least two stories going for another day or two. One is the Paula Parkinson story which I think he's got a very good explanation for it. He seems not to have done anything untoward there. Maybe he should have gotten up and left, but that would have looked a little blue nosed and huffy, and that's kind of minor. The other is this National Guard business. Again, I think he has a very good explanation but he didn't give a very good explanation, and so he's going to have to give it again and that just keeps this thing alive for another day or two. That's not the kind of publicity that the Republicans wanted out of this thing.

MR. APPLE: It seemed to me, John, I don't know whether it did to you and to you, it seemed to me that he was behaving as if somebody had said give the shortest possible answer to those two questions, so he'd say things like no, which isn't particularly responsive.

MR. MARGOLIS: He can't get away with that. He's going to have to come forward and say I was there at that apartment, I didn't do anything wrong, I left, I only saw her for an hour or so. He's going to have to come forward and say, I took this legal option to serve in the National Guard, I served honorably, there was nothing wrong with it, and he's going to have to explain these things. He can't just say that it's been gone into.

MR. MacNeil: Mark Shields, do you concur in the tenor of these comments?

MARK SHIELDS, Washington Post: Yes, I do. That's the shortest answer I could give.

MR. MacNeil: To what extent --

MR. GERGEN: That's the shortest answer you've ever given.

MR. MacNeil: And you've left the story open for --

MR. SHIELDS: For another day.

MR. MacNeil: To what extent, is this press reaction going to determine whether Bush has done a smart thing or not?

MR. SHIELDS: It's going to be influential. I mean, we have a new system in American politics, and let's be very blunt about it. It used to be a day when anybody was thinking about a Vice Presidential nominee or a Presidential run, you'd have to go before certain elders of the party, Governors, Mayors, who had some clout, who could say, hey, you're not going to run, because I don't want you at the top of my ticket, because you have this problem, you chase skirts and hang on clotheslines, there was that question about the petty cash missing in 1957. We don't do that anymore. We nominate our Presidential candidates in direct primaries and the Presidential candidate picks the Vice President. George Bush made that choice yesterday. It's the most important decision he's made as a Presidential nominee, and there's nothing to catch Dan Quayle if anything happens at this point. I mean, it isn't like there's 27 Governors who have said this guy's the best guy in the party. He hasn't been through a Presidential campaign, himself, as Dole had, as Kemp had, and I just think it's a serious problem, because the first impressions really do last.

MR. MacNeil: David Gergen.

DAVID GERGEN, U.S. News & World Report: I'd like to say I think he can help to rescue himself if he gives an electrifying speech tomorrow night, Dan Quayle. Now there are two men who are under enormous pressure tomorrow night, both George Bush and Dan Quayle. I do not think that will erase the question of whether he has the stature, the experience, and the background to be qualified as a stand-in President.

MR. MacNeil: But Johnny Apple, what about Mark Shields' point that there's nobody to rescue him? What about all the people that George Bush referred to today, his peers in the Senate who the Vice President have given him a very high rating?

MR. APPLE: I always make it a policy never to disagree publicly with people who are about to be nominated for President, but George Bush has been talking to different members of the Senate than any of us have. They're all ready to say, well, sure, George, if you want Dan, that's fine, Dan's a good guy, I understand why you like him, but they're not saying to us that Dan Quayle is the most qualified. Many of them are saying he's barely qualified and many of them are saying he's reasonably qualified. Go talk to Al Simpson and see what he says. He said that Quayle looked like a cross between Daffy Duck and Robert Redford.

MR. MacNeil: Let's leave it there and move on. Stay with us. Jim.

MR. LEHRER: Right. Because that's exactly what we want to do. We want to move from press Quayle reaction to that of the politicians, the Republican pros attending this convention in New Orleans. And Judy Woodruff has this report.

GERALD FORD: I endorse and support Dan Quayle as the next Vice President of the United States.

JUDY WOODRUFF: To listen to the speakers in New Orleans last night, you would have thought the entire Republican Party had jumped on board the Quayle bandwagon as soon as he was announced.

PAT ROBERTSON: He is a staunch defender of freedom, a champion of family values, and a common sense Hoosier who understands the needs of the farmer and the working man.

MS. WOODRUFF: Indeed, many delegates seemed perfectly happy to go along with the man George Bush had appointed, but many prominent Republicans were surprised.

SEN. WILLIAM COHEN, [R] Maine: Actually I was quite stunned. I felt that things were pointing towards Bob Dole or Elizabeth Dole or possibly Jack Kemp. So it took me, and I think everyone else, by surprise.

ED ROLLINS, Republican Strategist: My sense is that most people are probably surprised at the Quayle choice. It just didn't seem to fit what George Bush had been looking at or talking about over the last several months.

MS. WOODRUFF: There was enough concern on the part of the Bush Campaign about the response to Quayle that chief Bush operatives fanned out across the convention floor last night to make sure that what the hundreds of news reporters seeking reactions heard was mostly positive.

CRAIG FULLER, Bush Chief of Staff: This is a young candidate who's going to bridge the generation gap and yet, he's got so many of the values that George and Barbara Bush have, strong on the family, has a wonderful family, strong on defense and national security issues, strong on jobs and education.

LEE ATWATER, Bush Campaign Manager: Dan Quayle is going to, as he gets out and campaigns around, people are going to see him as a man of substance and a man of stature and I think he's going to do real well as a candidate.

MS. WOODRUFF: The Bush people acknowledge, as do other candidates for the slot Quayle won that he is not a household name. Kansas Senator Nancy Kassebaum.

SEN. NANCY KASSEBAUM, [R] Kansas: I think really probably a lot of people are still trying to assess what they know of and want to know Dan Quayle. I don't know that he is that well known to a lot of delegates.

MS. WOODRUFF: Republican moderates who are in the minority at this convention did not deny that they would have preferred to see Bush choose someone else, but they made it plain it was Bush's decision.

SEN. LOWELL WEICKER, [R] Connecticut: In the final analysis this is his choice. Would I like these guys in this convention hall telling me who I should run with? Believe you, no.

MS. WOODRUFF: You're saying this was not your choice, but --

SEN. WEICKER: But do I support it? I support it because it is George Bush's choice and he deserves to run the kind of race he wants to run across the country.

MS. WOODRUFF: Connecticut Senator Lowell Weicker said he and Quayle have different political philosophies.

SEN. WEICKER: Well, he certainly is a very articulate man and a very smart man for the simple reason I'm usually debating him. We're on the other sides of almost all issues.

MS. WOODRUFF: But Weicker said when push comes to shove, the choice of Quayle will have little effect?

SEN. WEICKER: In the final analysis, this choice doesn't change the deck. It's Bush versus Dukakis, not Quayle versus Bentsen.

MS. WOODRUFF: What does that mean?

SEN. WEICKER: It means that people are going to keep their eye on the ball that matters, which is the race for the Presidency.

MS. WOODRUFF: Maine Sen. William Cohen called the choice a long shot primarily because Quayle is so young and relatively inexperienced.

SEN. WILLIAM COHEN, [R] Maine: I think it's more the age factor, the fact that he's not well known and whether or not he's up to the position. He'll be measured against Bentsen, and again the measurement might be quite, the contrast might be quite interesting. The philosophy is not much different. Bentsen's foreign and defense policy quite similar to that of Quayle; the age factor, well, would the American people rather bet on a young 41 year old Vice President or an older one, so I think it will be interesting.

MS. WOODRUFF: Bush campaign operatives say the Vice President took age and experience into consideration. Pollster and Strategist Bob Teeter also says from a political standpoint, Quayle appeals to a group of voters Bush is having a difficult time reaching.

BOB TEETER, Bush Pollster: I think the most important group, and it's certainly no secret now, is the group that Ronald Reagan is the group that Ronald Reagan and the Reagan/Bush ticket got in '80 and '84 that we don't have enough of now, are really middle class, working Americans. That's a group of voters that in Indiana, Dan Quayle has been very effective with.

MS. WOODRUFF: Another group of voters proving elusive to Bush but with whom Quayle runs quite well, says Teeter, are women.

BOB TEETER: In those Indiana races that he's run both for Congress and for the Senate is there was never any gender gap in either of Quayle's races, and the fact is he ran in 1986 against a strong woman candidate and won that race.

MS. WOODRUFF: On the convention floor last night, however, party moderates questioned just how much appeal Quayle will have. Longtime Republican Activist Mary Louise Smith says she does not believe Quayle will help Bush close the so called gender gap.

MARY LOUISE SMITH, Iowa Delegate: Well, I think he is pro life and while he may help with some women because of that, women aren't monolithic, but the problem with women seems to be at the other end of the spectrum. And he's not going to help bring more moderate-minded women into the party.

MS. WOODRUFF: Sen. Nancy Kassebaum says it's George Bush alone who can attract women voters and not the selection of a young attractive male Senator.

SEN. NANCY KASSEBAUM, [R] Kansas: I don't think it will have any effect. In fact, I think perhaps the youthfulness and the enthusiasm of Dan Quayle will add some vitality to the campaign. But I think what George Bush has to do, which I think he can do, and it will help with the women's vote, is define his priorities.

MS. WOODRUFF: The other potential criticism of Quayle circulating last night were questions about the 1980 weekend involving Washington lobbyist Paula Parkinson. Bush's aides said they were not concerned, but admitted they had talked to Quayle about it and had had the matter researched.

LEE ATWATER, Bush Campaign Manager: We absolutely have and there is nothing there. And he's not only going to not hurt. He's going to help.

CRAIG FULLER, Bush Chief of Staff: There is no incident. There is nothing -- there is there there.

MS. WOODRUFF: The man who was assigned several weeks ago to accompany the Vice Presidential nominee throughout his campaign travels, longtime Republican strategist Stuart Spencer, suggested before Quayle's name was made public that it's critical there be no problems with the running mate.

STUART SPENCER, Bush Campaign: You don't want to get in trouble. You want to make the least amount of mistakes. And if you pick a candidate for Vice President to run on your ticket that ends up being a loose canon, you've got problems, a la McGovern/Eagleton. That was a tremendous problem for them. I think the Ferraro choice was a tremendous problem for Mondale last time, so you know, from that fact alone, you've got to make a good choice.

MS. WOODRUFF: Assuming no mistakes, former Reagan Campaign Manager Ed Rollins says Bush in selecting Quayle has created a tougher task for himself than he had already.

ED ROLLINS, Republican Strategist: He's bright. He's young. He's articulate. So in that sense, he's not going to go out and make a major gaff or really have anything too controversial in his background. Where there may be a little bit of, I don't want to use the term damage because I think damage is too strong a term, you're not going to walk out of this convention with everybody is enthused about a Danny Quayle because they don't Danny Quayle. The question has now gone from who will George Bush picked to who has George Bush picked.

MR. LEHRER: And then there are those happy politicians from Indiana. Elizabeth Brackett chose Indiana as the delegation to follow and chronicle during this convention and lo and behold, they scored very big with the selection of their Junior Senator to be the candidate for Vice President. Here is Elizabeth's report. FOCUS - '88 - SELECTION STRATEGY

ELIZABETH BRACKETT: Only hours after the big announcement, an exciting Indiana delegation was on the convention floor. Cameras and reporters pounced, eager for information on Dan Quayle. Delegates from other states wanted to know more. The Hoosiers touted their man.

INDIANA DELEGATE: He's strong family-oriented. He's worked to have -- jobs -- he's a wonderful campaigner. And I mean, he looks you in the eye --

MS. BRACKETT: The Hoosiers were full of stories about why, when and how their man was chosen. A few said Quayle told them he was sure last night that the choice had been narrowed down to two.

JOE KOTOSO, Munster, Indiana: He said, well, I think I'm on the bubble. And in Indiana, in the 500 race, on the bubble means that you're either the next car in or your the last car out, you're the 33rd car, and that's the last spot, so that means you're either in or out when you're on the bubble.

MS. BRACKETT: Gov. Robert Orr had just gotten off the phone with Quayle.

MS. BRACKETT: What did he say about when he finally got the phone call?

GOV. ROBERT ORR, [R] Indiana: Well, he got it an hour before the ceremony that we all saw on television, and Bob Teeter, the pollster, told me just a few minutes ago that he was told to stand out in the crowd and not identify himself. He said, I had a terrible time finding him in the big crowd of people, no security, no nothing. He had absolutely no time for preparation for what he had to say this afternoon. And that ought to convey a message to America and I hope to those Democrats, scare them to death, that this is a man that can campaign.

MS. BRACKETT: The Chairman of the Republican Party in Indiana was delighted with his role in the choice.

MS. BRACKETT: You were plotting strategy to make this happen way back in a motel room in Indianapolis.

GORDON DURNIL: Yes, that's true.

MS. BRACKETT: What do you think now?

GORDON DURNIL, Indiana GOP Party Chairman: Well, it's kind of neat. We were kind of in that meeting drawing lines, you know, let's not go beyond this line, we'll look silly and let's not go beyond this line because it might make the Bush people mad or something and we did what we said. We circulated information on Sen. Quayle to all the national committee members and other state chairmen and everything and we printed buttons and we printed signs and we brought them with us. And we're happy we get to use them.

MS. BRACKETT: Could Dan Quayle be President if something happened to George Bush?

GORDON DURNIL: Yes.

MS. BRACKETT: Are you comfortable with that?

GORDON DURNIL: Yes. He's been in the Congress for 12 years now. He probably had a better record in the first six years, in the first term in the Senate than anybody I can think of. The Joint Training Partnership Act was a major piece of legislation that he authored and yes, he has the temperament, he has the experience, he has the ability and he has the talent to be a great President if that should ever come about.

MS. BRACKETT: The conventional wisdom is now saying that Dan Quayle will be good for the gender gap, because he's such an attractive man. What do you think about that?

BETTY RENDEL, Peru, Indiana: I think that that will affect it somewhat, but if that were the only reason, I wouldn't be as euphoric about it as I am. He really does attract women and that has to do with his Jobs Training Act. He probably with that bill did more to help women in this Administration than any other single person. So that's why he's attractive to women really I think.

ELEANOR HOLT, Muncie, Indiana: Some women will vote more because of his looks, but most women have more intelligence than to just, to base their vote on how a candidate looks. It doesn't hurt but it certainly is not the qualification that we look for for candidates. And he is the qualified candidate. There is no gender gap in Indiana, with Sen. Quayle. He received the highest percentage of votes in the '84 election, higher than anyone has ever received in the past as long as we've been keeping records.

MS. BRACKETT: Delegates spread their enthusiasm for Quayle across the floor.

INDIANA DELEGATE: [Two Delegates joking] Somebody out on the news asked me tonight, she said, "Is there anyone in your delegation that's not enthused?" And I said, "Yeah, but we assassinated him and left him on the bus."

MS. BRACKETT: While the Indiana Hoosiers couldn't contain their excitement about Quayle, some delegates in other states, even neighboring Midwestern states like Illinois, were not as sure about the choice.

JUDY BARR TOPINKA, Illinois Delegate: Well, I was just surprised by the whole name. I would have far preferred someone like a Jeane Kirkpatrick or a Jack Kemp, whom I think are tried and true and tested, well known. They've been screened. They've either run for public office on a grand scale, or they've gone through these screening processes more or less trial of fire and have survived very very well. They would have added to the ticket.

MS. BRACKETT: A ride on an old fashioned Louisiana paddleboat began the day for the Hoosiers this morning, but it was the newspapers, not the view, that held their attention. Some were stunned by the tough press coverage, especially the stories on Quayle's alleged involvement with Pauline Parkinson, a former lobbyist and a model for Playboy Magazine.

MARY KAY BUDAH, La Porte, Indiana: I think that's a lot of nonsense and I'll tell you why. First of all, I think Vice President Bush and his people, like I told you before, they didn't just go like this [gesturing], and pick somebody. I mean, they did a lot of investigation. And in our state, if it would have meant anything, why did he get re-elected?

MS. BRACKETT: After the trip up the river, it was back to the hotel to wait for their first meeting with Quayle since yesterday's big announcement. In the group, Orvas Beers, the man who first spotted Quayle as a political talent 12 years ago.

ORVAS BEERS, Ft. Wayne, Indiana: I said, "How'd you like to run for Congress?" He said, "You mean now?" I said, "Yes, I mean now." He said, "Well, I have to clear it with the old man." I said, "Well, call him." He said, "He's over in Australia." I said, "Call him anyway over there." It's Sunday morning, he called me up, he said, "I reached the old man," that's his dad, "and he says, it's okay." That's how this happened.

MS. BRACKETT: When the new nominee for Vice President of the United States burst into the room, the delegation let loose. Inveterate picture taker Ilze Koch snapped what may become her favorite convention shot. Dan Quayle may have a difficult campaign ahead but the problems won't come from the Hoosiers.

MR. LEHRER: Again to David Gergen and Mark Shields and to R. W. Apple of the New York Times, Jon Margolis of the Chicago Tribune and Howard Fineman of Newsweek Magazine. Jon Margolis, you talked to some Republicans today in this town. What kind of reaction did you pick up to the Quayle selection?

JON MARGOLIS, Chicago Tribune: Well, they're loyally saying it was a wonderful choice in public and they're privately saying that they're underwhelmed. They're not downhearted, they're not pessimistic, they're not gloomy, but they're not excited either, and I think there's sort of a consensus that George Bush needed to get something from this nomination and he hasn't gotten anything. He probably hasn't lost anything. And Dan Quayle may turn out to be a great candidate who will help out a lot, but today, yesterday, he hasn't provided either stature or excitement or much of a bump for George Bush.

MR. LEHRER: Howard Fineman, what have you picked up?

HOWARD FINEMAN, Newsweek: Well, one thing I've picked up is a certain amount of dissatisfaction about the fact that this story is covering up other things that they want to get done here. Last night was supposed to be "Bash the Duke Night", but all of the speeches that were supposed to delineate the ideological differences were pretty much ignored both on TV and the papers. The story is continuing again a second day. Now that part of the agenda really has been left aside and Bush and Quayle have to sell themselves without making that contrast as much as I think they wanted to.

MR. LEHRER: Johnny Apple, what did Republicans tell you?

R. W. APPLE, New York Times: Most of them told me that it was up to George Bush. I think that is almost the unanimous view here, but the mere fact that they say that suggests that they're not jumping through hoops. I was struck by the fact that Jim Baker, a man who chooses his words with care, and I may say with some skill, said yesterday that it was important that this candidate did not hurt the ticket. This suggested to me that Mr. Baker might not be entirely overwhelmed by the choice. I think it's important to take Howard's point, that Quayle still has plenty of time in the campaign to demonstrate that he can amount to something. He starts with a pretty clean slate. There are these few little niggling problems, I think the draft question is the most serious, but by and large what he is seen as in November will depend mostly on what he does between now and November. He is a good looking, attractive, articulate young man. If he can make some good speeches, if he can work hard, if he can get under Mike Dukakis's skin, maybe he'll amount to something. But the view in New Orleans as I hear it or as I see it tonight, is that Mr. Bush has not helped himself much.

MR. LEHRER: Do you hear and see the same view, David Gergen?

DAVID GERGEN, U.S. News & World Report: Yes, indeed. I think one of the reasons why Dan Quayle hasn't lit any fires here in New Orleans is that many of the people here don't know him very well. In particular, Governors, of course, run these strong political organizations and on whom George Bush is heavily relying to win this election know barely nothing about the candidate. Now they all have, these office holders all have crossed fingers. They're saying it is up to George, as Johnny Apple just said, it's a very personal decision and apparently this was a singular decision. One has a sense from the body language, people around George Bush are not saying this, but one has a sense from the body language that they did not participate in the decision. It was one made by their candidate. They're going to loyally go around but the big thing is they have crossed fingers, they are hoping this fellow will come alive as a campaigner and if that happens, they're going to be happy about it, because he'll bring some life to the campaign.

MR. LEHRER: How do you explain the fact that the conservatives are not dancing in the streets over this?

MR. GERGEN: I have to tell you, I think that the evangelical right is quite pleased with this. I happened to be with Jerry Falwell yesterday when this announcement was made and he was very pleased with it. You can talk to others who are in that movement and I think you do find pleasure on that side, but you talk to the others who are in this convention and I think their views have been reflected here previously just from the booth. I think you're quite accurate.

MR. LEHRER: Mark.

MARK SHIELDS, Washington Post: One member of the right, non- religious right, said today he agreed with Dan Quayle on all the issues, but he wasn't sure he could hit big league pitching and that's one of the doubts, that's one of the nagging doubts, whether, in fact, Dan Quayle is up to a Presidential campaign, I mean, the national scrutiny, the kind of press conference that he had this morning, that's part of the doubt factor. The other catch phrase I heard over and over again today, and it may be the point where I started thinking to myself, Michael Dukakis is the luckiest SOB in the world. This is what Republicans are saying, Michael Dukakis is lucky.

MR. GERGEN: We're on television. Don't talk like that, Mark.

MR. SHIELDS: Well, these were members of the House. I don't deal with Jerry Falwell, and I've always liked Republican House members who are a more earthy group.

MR. LEHRER: Does that make sense, Howard Fineman? Does Michael Dukakis have reason to be happy over this? Isn't it a little early for him to be happy?

HOWARD FINEMAN, Newsweek: Well, it is a little early, but he did luck out in several respects. One of the stories of the Democratic Convention was the unification of the party with Jesse Jackson. In a way, Lloyd Bentsen was almost an asterisk in that story. He was known by a lot of the professional politicians and the professional polls inside the hall knew immediately why Dukakis was picking Bentsen, one word, Texas. Dukakis didn't even have to say it. Here there's a lot of explaining that needs to be done, not only about who Dan Quayle is, but why he was chosen. George Bush has found himself in the position of standing up at a press conference not so much praising Dan Quayle as explaining on a kind of electoral college and demographic map of the country why he picked him. That's not the kind of thing that the Presidential candidate should be doing. And that's all gravy for Mike Dukakis I think.

MR. LEHRER: Jon Margolis, is this going to continue for while, that George Bush is going to have keep explaining, I don't mean to the press, but I mean to his fellow Republican, why he chose Dan Quayle?

MR. MARGOLIS: Well, if I were Bush and Quayle or their advisers, I would tell them to try to make this explanation very quickly and to have Quayle, as I said before, get these things out of the way about the army service and about Paula Parkinson and be very up front about them, get them out of the way, in the hopes that it won't last very long. If this kind of thing persists we saw with Geraldine Ferraro, not that it's an analogous situation, but you don't want to come out of here if you're the Republicans on the defense. You want to come out of here running the campaign you want to run. If they keep being preoccupied and bedeviled by questions about why did Dan Quayle not join the real army and why did you do, this Mr. Bush, they may never get off the ground.

MR. LEHRER: Robin.

MR. MacNeil: One of the major tests Sen. Quayle will face in the campaign will be to debate his Democratic opponent, Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas. Campaign officials say Bush was influenced in choosing Quayle because they'd seen him actually debating Bentsen on this program. The date was April 22nd, and the subject the plant closing amendment to the trade bill. Bentsen was a leading Senate supporter, Sen. Quayle a leading opponent. In the following excerpt, Sen. Bentsen explained why he favored the plant closing notification.

SEN. LLOYD BENTSEN, [D] Texas [April 22, 1988]: What we've seen is a situation of a very mild proposal that says, you know, if you've been working for a company twenty-five, thirty years, you deserve something a little better than a seven day layoff, that a 60 day notice, if you're going to close down a plant where you've had a community who has helped with tax benefits and that sort of thing, a 60 day notice for them to make an adjustment is not excessive. The other thing that it does, it give you a chance to work with those employees to help them find other jobs and make the transition. And if you deal with them collectively that way, you can do it much more effectively. When I was in business and running a company, I closed down a division, I gave them 90 days' notice. And it worked out very well. Now that you have the xerox machine, you just really can't keep many secrets and usually the rumors are a lot worse than the reality.

MR. MacNeil: Sen. Quayle, what's wrong? What is there about this that upsets you and President Reagan so much?

SEN. DAN QUAYLE, [R] Indiana [April 22, 1988]: Well, I think that companies should give notice. Sen. Bentsen said that when he was running a company, he didn't give 60 days' notice, he gave 90 days' notice. A lot of companies give more than 60 days' notice. The objection to it, Jim, is the federal government coming in on a legislative basis on how a company is going to close its plant. I don't like plant closings any more than anybody else. I don't like job losses. I want to see plants open. But what's interesting about this legislation is that the determining factor in who will make up the mind of whether the plant is closed right now not is the court. Our judiciary is now going to get involved in determining whether a plant is closed properly or not. It takes away the flexibility. Small businesses are the ones that would be adversely impacted, and that's where the jobs and opportunities are coming from. 80 percent of our new jobs have come from small business. But there are other objections to this piece of legislation.

MR. LEHRER [April 22, 1988]: Excuse me, excuse me just a minute. Explain that, how this would hurt small businesses.

SEN. DAN QUAYLE, [R] Indiana [April 22, 19833]: Because small businesses are the ones that, in fact, get in there and compete. They open up the shop, for example, a grocery store. A grocery store in most cases employs over 100 employees. I come from a small town in Huntington, Indiana, and we used to have grocery stores come in and out, and they come in and they get on the two streets and they compete with each other like cats and dogs. One of them succeeds; one of them fails. And in every single instance, there's not that possibility to give that mandatory 60 days' notice. And what would happen in that case is that other grocery store or retail store or small business is not going to come in and compete. And what you're going to have is plants closed from the very beginning as they are in Europe. They aren't opening because of all the government intrusion taking away this flexibility that small business really need.

MR. LEHRER: Is he wrong about that, Sen. Bentsen?

SEN. LLOYD BENTSEN, [D] Texas [April 22, 1988]: Yes, he's wrong about that. First you exempt a business that has under a hundred employees, and that's truly small business. And the other part of it is that the ultimate penalty, of course, is that they'd have to give them 60 days' pay. So I think they'd comply with it. But I think what we're allowing ourselves to be drawn off on is really a peripheral issue and you're ignoring the fact that we got a $171 billion trade deficit as of last year and it hasn't been going down as the Administration had forecast it would dramatically reduce. In addition to that, we moved from the No. 1 lender nation in the world to the No. 1 debtor nation in just four years. And we have to address this trade imbalance and try to develop a trade policy for this country which it has not had since World War II.

MR. MacNeil: Mark Shields, were the Bush people right in drawing confidence from watching that?

MARK SHIELDS, Washington Post: I think Dan Quayle handled himself well in that situation. There was one point I did want to add to the discussion earlier, Robin. That was the question about his draft service, his military service. In 1969, there were a lot of people who missed military service, who didn't go to Vietnam or whatever, a number of whom are now born again Hawks for intervention around the globe. Apparently, Dan Quayle met his military obligation, his legal obligation, which was to serve in uniform, and he did. The only, I think the only grounds for criticism is if, in fact, his stature, status, influence was used to jump him to the top of the list, because, I mean, there's usually a list for National Guard membership usually, that's in most cities of any size in this country. That's the only grounds. I don't think beyond that that he should be faulted for having done what he did as far as the military.

MR. MacNeil: David Gergen, the debate.

DAVID GERGEN, U.S. News & World Report: Well, I think you're going to find an interesting debate between these two men, and they may be actually fairly evenly matched. Lloyd Bentsen is a very smart fellow. He is known on the Capitol Hill as someone who doesn't use staff, because he does it himself frequently and he has been the author of a lot of significant legislation. I don't think you're going to see Dan Quayle beat Lloyd Bentsen very easily in a debate. I do think that Dan Quayle may surprise people by being more effective in debate than people expect. He has been, frankly, a more effective Senator than people thought he would be when he was first elected in 1980. So I think the real issueagain comes down to in terms of this campaign how effective a campaign there is on the stump. And I think he may be very good at that, and a lot of these early returns, these early reviews, which are quite negative frankly, we've seen and heard tonight, that they may be somewhat modified if he turns out to be a terrific campaigner.

MR. MacNeil: Johnny Apple, Quayle as a debater, taking not only substance but image, youth versus age, those kinds of things.

R. W. APPLE, New York Times: Well, I'm loathe to comment on his performance as a debater because I couldn't see that debate. We're up here in Superdome heaven and we only have one way video, so I'll pass on that. But I would like to say one more thing about the status, the standing, that stature of Mr. Quayle. One of the things that I heard again and again today was the question, why not Lugar, Dick Lugar, the Senior Senator from Indiana, said to have a voting record very similar to Mr. Quayle's, surely a man of much greater standing among his peers? I heard a lot of why not Jack Kemp if he wanted a conservative? You wouldn't hear all those why nots, all those inquiries as to why certain other people were not chosen if there wasn't a lot of subterranean dissatisfaction with the choice.

MR. MacNeil: Let me raise a question that hasn't come up yet. A lot of people, including the organizers of this convention, in the Bush Campaign say that one of the things he has to do is to appear to be his own man because people don't see him as that yet. In making such an unexpected choice, does he not get a few points in that, Howard Fineman?

HOWARD FINEMAN, Newsweek: Well, I think he does, Robin, and I think that was shown today because Dan Quayle is going to be a very enthusiastic and probably pretty convincing cheerleader for George Bush. He's got his own man in Dan Quayle. I think he needs that and I think the very fact that Bush has to explain to a lot of people why he picked this guy I think focuses on his own thought processes, why he did it, what it means, what Bush was up to, and I think that that shows that he has some independent judgment on this. And as Johnny was saying, the clear body language from people is that this was his own decision, and not really based so much on what advisers were saying one way or the other.

MR. MacNeil: Jon Margolis, good points for being his own man, or has he been perversely his own man and not helped himself in trying to demonstrate it?

MR. MARGOLIS: Well, good points for being his own man, maybe not such good points in that if he had chosen someone who was known himself as a strong person, Bush would also have been making the statement, I'm a strong enough person to choose the strongest possible guy and still show that I am in charge, I am secure enough to do that. He doesn't get those points, but he does, he did choose some -- I want to say one thing I said before -- I used the crack the real army. I'm a former army reservist myself so I agree with Mark Shields that Sen. Quayle followed the law and served his country. I have no, I can't quarrel with that.

MR. MacNeil: David Gergen, points for being his own man?

MR. GERGEN: Some, but I do think that the problem that George Bush has gotten out of this is, to go back to the subterranean for a discussion that's going on in this convention is by not choosing someone who is big or with real stature, what does it say about him and what does it say about his attitude toward the Vice Presidency? How seriously does he take the Vice Presidency?

MR. MacNeil: Okay. That's a question for the future. David Gergen, Mark Shields, Johnny Apple, Howard Fineman and Jon Margolis, thank you very much. ESSAY - '88 - CONVENTIONAL ROAD

MR. LEHRER: Finally, tonight is Presidential roll call night at the Republican National Convention and Essayist Roger Mudd has some observations about this conventional ritual.

ROGER MUDD: Whatever else happens to political conventions, whatever further accommodations they intend to make for television, whatever coverage television is now planning for 1992, don't let them take away the roll call vote. There is something almost sacred about a call of the states in a union as diverse as ours. And tonight here in New Orleans they are calling the roll, a full length roll call because George Bush says he likes the tradition. Good for him.

SPOKESPERSON CALLING ROLL CALL: Alabama.

MR. MUDD: What if the speeches are canned, the debate phoney, the events packaged? There's nothing phoney or canned about a Mississippi drawl --

MISSISSIPPI DELEGATE: The State of Mississippi, the hospitality state where the Democratic Party is now united, proudly --

ROGER MUDD: -- Or the quick sounds from the upper plains.

MONTANA DELEGATE: Montana, the home of the majority leader of the United States Senate, Mike Mansfield.

MR. MUDD: There's also something reassuring about how proud we are of our states.

SPOKESMAN TAKING ROLL CALL: Delaware.

DELAWARE DELEGATE: Mr. Chairman, the first state of the United States of America, the state that welcomed every other state in this hall into the union.

NORTH CAROLINA DELEGATE: North Carolina, the state of opportunity and beauty, from the magnificent Smoky Mountains through the productive Piedmont to the majestic Atlantic Ocean.

COLORADO DELEGATE: The great State of Colorado, Ski Country USA, home of beautiful mountains and rocky mountain spring water is honored --

MR. MUDD: Even when they pass, the delegations get in their plugs.

OREGON DELEGATE: The State of Oregon that made the United States of America from sea to shining sea passes at this time.

WEST VIRGINIA DELEGATE: Almost heaven, West Virginia passes.

MR. MUDD: Even when they've lost their voices, delegation chairmen will not surrender this moment.

FLORIDA DELEGATE [Hoarse]: In Florida, we believe in Ronald Reagan. We cast all 51 votes for the next President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.

NEW YORK DELEGATION CHAIRMAN: New York proudly casts 156 votes for Walter Mondale.

MR. MUDD: Just to watch a convention roll call is to be not only amused but also heartened by the diversity of the country, by banana hats from Guam, where they claim America's day begins, by the leis from the Aloha state, which they like us to call Hawaii, and by the deification of local politicians.

VIRGINIA DELEGATE: Virginia, the home of Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and Charles S. Robb.

ROGER MUDD: Such moments should not be thrown out simply because they are anachronisms. Convention roll call votes let us know us every four years that despite the computers and the anchor boos and the prime time packaging it is still the people, funny, vein, naive, serious, committed, it is still the people who are doing the voting. RECAP

MR. MacNeil: Once again, the main points in today's news, Vice President George Bush defended his choice of running mates, saying Sen. Dan Quayle was qualified to stand a heartbeat from the Presidency, Pakistani President Zia and the American Ambassador were killed in a plane crash in Pakistan, U.S. and Soviet scientists carried out the first joint nuclear test in Nevada to help develop mutually agreed devices to monitor future tests. Good night, Jim.

MR. LEHRER: Good night, Robin. We'll see you tomorrow night from New Orleans. I'm Jim Lehrer. Thank you, and good night.