Bush Bites Back

After tangling with Dole, he aggressively dodges Iranscam

His first four campaign days of 1988 were all George Bush needed to turn the Republican race into a blood sport. Beginning in Washington with an artful response to the taunts of his principal rival, Bob Dole, and climaxing with a brawling, take-me-on-if-you-dare performance at a Des Moines debate, Bush appeared to have whipped his wimp image. But the Vice President may need all the moxie he can muster, since he suddenly found himself bushwhacked over an issue he hoped had been forgotten: his role in the Iran-contra scandal. The fusillade of what-did-he-really-know charges came mainly from the press, but it...

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