Fending Off Tough Questions

Meese runs the gauntlet toward confirmation

The witness had five weeks to prepare for the hearings. He had made courtesy calls on his most hostile senatorial inquisitors. Thus, through two days of questioning on his fitness to be Attorney General, Edwin Meese last week remained cool, articulate and unsurprised by the questions of critical Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Barring some bombshell disclosure in the continued hearings this week, Ronald Reagan's longtime aide will almost surely win Senate confirmation to replace the resigning William French Smith.

Still, there were some things that Meese could not credibly explain away. He admitted he had...

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