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Time - Man of the Year
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Time_Man_of_the_Year_Compact_Publishing_3YX-Disc-1_Compact_Publishing_1993.iso
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1988-12-31
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101 lines
GRAPEVINE, Page 11
By SOPHFRONIA SCOTT GREGORY
He Really Doesn't Look So Good
Weeks of denials from the White House have not done much
to sway other Western leaders from a nagging impression that
PRESIDENT BUSH is ill. Several have noted in telephone
conversations with Bush that he vacillates and loses his train
of thought in mid-sentence. Diplomats have observed that the
President has become more stooped, his face often drawn and his
complexion grayish. At last month's G-7 summit in Munich and the
CSCE summit in Helsinki, the same symptoms were starkly evident.
Says a French diplomat: "The questions they keep asking
privately are, Do you think George is ill? How serious is it?
And what is it?" "It was much more than fatigue or preoccupation
with other things," says a British observer. "He looked and
acted ill." Fortunately for Bush, his pals' impressions don't
carry much weight with the U.S. electorate. But he might want
to schedule some of those overseas calls when he's feeling in
top form.
At Last, Jimmy to the Rescue
The deal is cut, the plans laid out. All that's left is a
title to bestow on Secretary of State JAMES BAKER when he joins
the Bush campaign this week. Bush will end months of
speculation surrounding the Baker move with an announcement
meant to kick off the Republican Convention. The Bush troops
hope to ignite the party faithful who have been looking for the
Secretary to revive the lagging campaign. Baker's arrival could
not be sooner: the G.O.P. has concluded that if it is to win in
November, it absolutely must win at least two of three key
states: Ohio, Michigan and New Jersey. It has already written
off Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York.
P.J.'s Pep Talk
Political humorist P.J. O'ROURKE was called into service
last week to shore up sagging morale among young volunteers at
Bush-Quayle campaign headquarters in Washington. Amid his usual
acerbic patter, O'Rourke described his recent interview with
Democrat Bill Clinton. He learned that Clinton voted for the
young-Elvis stamp, that his favorite Beatle is Paul and that he
planned to put more policemen on the streets. O'Rourke's
bottom-line analysis: ``He's not as smart as he thinks he is."
Though he succeeded in cheering the group, O'Rourke, an
acknowledged G.O.P. sympathizer, could not help being struck by
the predominance of prosperous-looking young Wasp males among
the volunteers. "It was like a rally for the master race," he
was heard to mutter afterward.
We'll See Him at the Movies
Movies may have been his downfall, but that doesn't mean
ex-Washington Mayor MARION BARRY will turn his back on them,
especially when one will feature his life story. Barry has
visited Tinseltown for a meeting with producer Ron Samuels, who
wants to make a film that will highlight events in Barry's life
such as the civil rights movement and his spell in jail. "He has
had a fascinating life," says Samuels. It all is on hold until
after D.C.'s Sept. 15 election, when Barry could return to
public office by winning a city council seat. If he does,
Samuels says, it would make the movie "even more of a Rocky
story."
FORWARD SPIN
The Democrats were rocking in New York City to Don't Stop,
but the current outlook for the G.O.P. may make their choice of
music for next week's Houston shindig less cheery.
Possibilities:
Achy Breaky Heart
Under Pressure
You Can't Always Get What You Want
I Won't Bail You Out
Taxman
It Never Rains in Southern California
Mall or Bust
Honey, load the Winnebago! Proprietors hope the gargantuan
Mall of America, opening in Bloomington, Minn., this week, will
pass even Disney World to become the hottest vacation
destination in the U.S. They expect 40 million visits in 1996.
Besides its own amusement park, the mall will feature a Hormel
cookout area -- SpamLand? -- and (move over, Epcot!) the LEGO
Imagination Center, a 5,000-sq.-ft. room of giant LEGO models.
Sorry, kids, you can't build this stuff at home.