Nation: Once Again, Chappaquiddick

The issue stirs the growing Carter-Kennedy fight

Once can be a slip of the lip. Twice in five days looks intentional. And although President Carter and his aides insisted that any such interpretation was wrong, the result could not be denied. In his yet unannounced candidacy against Ted Kennedy, his equally unannounced challenger, Jimmy Carter had publicly evoked a shattering political image: Chappaquiddick. Carter's first reference came during a meeting with a group of news editors at the White House. Asked about the significance of polls on presidential popularity, he replied: "I think we have got a superb record . . . of course, your own character assessment, the reputation you have for being steady in an emergency . . . these things become much more important than the relatively transient public opinion polls."

The second incident occurred last week during Carter's town meeting at Queens College in New York City. In a long dissertation about leadership, Carter said: "We've had some crises where it required a steady hand, a careful and deliberate decision to be made. I don't think I panicked in the crisis."

Were "steady in an emergency" and "panicked" coded references to Kennedy's failure to rescue Mary Jo Kopechne from his submerged car in July 1969 as well as his failure to seek help? Many reporters thought so. But Presidential Press Secretary Jody Powell indignantly denied the connection. Quite correctly, Powell pointed out that Kennedy had raised the leadership issue, suggesting, in effect, that the nation is seeking a stronger person in the White House. Added Powell: "How can you ask an incumbent President who has faced every tough, thankless issue and has a commendable record—not perfect, but pretty damn good—to give up the right to point to the record? That's not an attack on anyone."

As he followed his strategy to hit Kennedy hard and early, Carter assailed the Senator's leadership claims in other ways last week. Declared the President at the New York town meeting: "Senator Kennedy has been in Congress 16 years. His major premise, or goal, has been to establish a comprehensive national health insurance policy for our country. He is chairman of the health subcommittee in the Senate. He's never gotten a comprehensive health bill out of his subcommittee." And by contrast, Carter could have cited one major example of his own legislative success last week: the passage (17 months after it was sent to Congress by the White House) of his bill to create a new Department of Education.

As the dispute grew about whether Carter had or had not meant to refer to Chappaquiddick, he sent Kennedy a handwritten note, which began: "I won't make a habit of this." That was a quip referring to sending letters to the Senator, rather than a promise not to say anything similar about leadership in the future. Carter said nothing personal had been intended by his comments. Kennedy refused to term the President's note an apology, saying merely, "I appreciate his sending it to me." Did Kennedy expect Carter to make an issue of Chappaquiddick? Replied the Senator: "No, I think the President wants to talk about the issues that are important to the country."