Carter: Looking Becalmed

The White House is strangely silent at a time of crisis abroad

The languid tropical air of sunny Guadeloupe slows down most people, and Jimmy Carter seemed to be no exception. As he finished up his summit and brief holiday on the Caribbean island last week, he behaved, to all appearances, like any other vacationer: at ease in a time of turmoil. Carter, to be sure, was in the midst of digesting all the disturbing news abroad; he was preparing for the opening of the 96th Congress this week and conferring with advisers on the State of the Union address that he will deliver on Jan. 23. Even so, the usually talkative President seemed strangely becalmed.

If he had any new thoughts on foreign events, he was keeping them to himself. He had no comment on the protracted SALT negotiations or on the suspended Middle East talks. He concluded his summit with remarks that were curiously inappropriate at a time when the Vietnamese were conquering Cambodia. Said the President: "We have observed with interest and gratification that in the last few years there has been an enhancement in the normalization of relationships among the nations of the world. Former enemies have become friends. Potential enemies have sought to avoid violence by close consultations and negotiations." Next day, when reporters asked him about the Vietnamese aggression, he replied: "I don't want to comment on that now. We are scuba diving, mostly."

Carter considered holding a press conference after his return to Washington, but changed his mind. Instead, Secretary of State Cyrus Vance revealed to the press that the Shah of Iran was taking a "vacation" and that the U.S. approved (see WORLD). White House Press Secretary Jody Powell also had little to say about foreign policy. When reporters badgered him, he insisted that he was "not getting involved in daily temperature taking about Iran." He added: "I have nothing to say about Cambodia." Since Carter has often made damaging impromptu remarks about events abroad, his taciturnity was perhaps understandable. Yet in a worrisome week, the President gave the appearance of ducking the issues. Certainly, he was not signaling any new American resolution to friends and foes abroad or to the forces on Capitol Hill that are concerned about his overseas policies.

As soon as it reconvenes, Congress will take up foreign affairs. Groups of Democrats and Republicans have returned from visits to the Soviet Union with misgivings. Their worries will lead most of them to support Carter's recognition of China, and they will probably confirm a U.S. Ambassador to Peking, expected to be Leonard Woodcock, the current chief of the U.S. Liaison Office. But conservatives will berate Carter for terminating the defense treaty with Taiwan. Barry Goldwater's office is cranking up bills to restrict the President's power to end treaties. "We will seek assurances on Taiwan," says Kansas Republican Robert Dole, who wants to maintain a U.S. Liaison Office on the island. He foresees a Senate slugfest on the issue: "There will be feathers all over the place, Byrd's and others' "--meaning Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd.

After China will come the debate on SALT II, probably the most crucial item of business this session. To a considerable extent, the outcome depends on the attitude of Byrd and Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker, who together engineered the victory for the Panama Canal Treaties. Baker, in particular, is a question mark because he is in trouble with his party's right wing for supporting the canal pact. Notes Nevada Senator Paul

Laxalt, leader of the G.O.P. conservative bloc: "Anyone who voted for the treaty needs rehabilitation if he wants to run for President. Baker is really going to have to do something dramatic to get well with the traditional Republicans who do the work and nominating. The Republicans never forget. Ask Nelson Rockefeller."

Congress is also expected to give Carter's fiscal 1980 budget some rough handling. Quips G.O.P. Congressman Barber Conable of New York: "It's going to be a Republican Congress--full of Democrats." House Speaker Tip O'Neill has been fretting that if Carter trims too much from the budget, there will not be enough for Congress to slash to impress the folks back home. Yet whatever Carter cuts will evoke outcries from some special interests that are sure to be used to good advantage by the man the President fears the most, Ted Kennedy. In talking about his plans for the session, the Massachusetts Senator is stressing his new job as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, but he cannot escape his role as leader of the liberals. His every move will inevitably be scrutinized for its political motivation, especially by the White House.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.