Word: backgrounds
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...just completed a two-year stint as one of two military assistants to Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. He had been able to see almost every classified document that crossed Weinberger's desk. U.S. officials think Higgins was kidnaped simply because he was an American and not because of his background. But the fact that he had so recently served in a sensitive Pentagon job clearly increased the danger to Higgins once he fell into unfriendly hands. "He knew a great deal," says Weinberger. "He went with me to meetings on the progress of new weapons, meetings with foreign Ministers...
...brief or argued an appeal. Most damaging, Lucas displayed a woeful ignorance of basic civil rights issues. Asked about the distinction between de facto (actual) and de jure (legal) segregation, Lucas drew a blank. "If it had been a white man who had been nominated who had the same background," said Alabama Democrat Howell Heflin, "he wouldn't have gotten anywhere. I think the fact that Mr. Lucas was black caused more consideration to be given...
...They don't like his role in Central America, his proconsular, interventionist, pro-contra role as Ambassador in Honduras. They don't like his Viet Nam background and his national security, intelligence-community background. Nonetheless, it is possible that he'll become the first U.S. ambassador in many years to establish channels of communication with all sectors of the political spectrum, in which case he might even become a good ambassador...
Drafted into the J.S.P. in 1969 to boost its sagging fortunes, the constitutional lawyer has proved to be an able attention getter. Her academic background and her ruthlessly logical arguments, boomed out in her loud voice during the Diet's question hour, have instilled fear in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Seeking a gimmick to rebound from a disastrous election in 1986, the J.S.P. asked Doi to take on the party's leadership. Fearing she had been chosen as a "paper tiger" with no influence over policy, Doi, according to some reports, conducted tough negotiations with back-room power brokers...
...Duke sauntered into the Convention Center with Neil Diamond's "America" blaring in the background. The song, like the speech that followed it, was corny and cliched, but for the first time during the campaign Dukakis was able to make an emotional connection with his audience...