BORK STRATEGY

The Associated Press ran an interesting story on the Reagan administration's strategizing during the Bork hearings:

Reagan aide wanted to use Heston to save Bork
Associated Press

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. – The Reagan administration, struggling to save the doomed Supreme Court nomination of Robert Bork, considered calling in movie star Charlton Heston to give him a boost, newly released presidential papers show.

The strategy of using Mr. Heston, who played Moses in The Ten Commandments, was spelled out in a 1987 memo titled "The Borker" and released Friday. The writer, White House staffer Jeffrey Lord, suggested airing more television ads aggressively promoting Judge Bork and taking his critics to task.

"Cut one spot with a great voice [e.g. Charlton Heston]. Theme: Robert Bork has been smeared. The victim of vicious special interest groups," Mr. Lord wrote.

The memo and others were among 150 pages of Reagan papers released Friday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. The papers deal with presidential appointments.