The Tory Texan and the Indiana Kid Bentsen

His Job Is to Capture Texas

Flanked by a posse of lawmen, some sporting ten-gallon hats, Lloyd Bentsen cheerfully introduced his running mate. The Law Enforcement Officers Association of Texas had gathered at the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas last week to endorse the Governor of Massachusetts and certify that he is not a patsy on crime. Bentsen, silver-haired and presidential, surveyed the audience with his mild and benign gaze and then said casually, "Mike, have you rented a hotel room here tonight?" Dukakis appeared slightly mystified but nodded his head. "Good. In some people's minds that makes you a Texan."

Bentsen's jab at George Bush for calling...

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