Columnist Jon Ralston: Bush is whispering his sweet nothings

Wednesday, May 10, 2000 | 9:31 a.m.

Jon Ralston, who publishes the Ralston Report, writes a column for the Sun on Sundays and Wednesdays. Ralston can be reached at 870-7997 or by e-mail at ralston@vegas.com.

So George W. Bush loves Nevada, after all?

What a relief. For a while there, I thought his record of anti-gaming statements, his disregard for states' rights when it comes to nuclear waste, and his inner circle that includes a Yucca Mountain prime mover, should be taken as signs that he's not a Friend of Nevada.

But now we know the truth -- thanks to a letter he wrote to Gov. Kenny Guinn about nuclear waste. Bush has shown that he really cares about the state's plight, that he might as well be an honorary Nevadan. Let's look at this beautifully worded missive and why it was released this week.

"I believe sound science, not politics, must prevail in the designation of any high-level nuclear waste repository," Bush wrote. Really, he actually wrote that. And it sounds just as inane as the last time I heard it. I think it was from Bill Clinton. Or Al Gore. Or the last pandering pol who visited Nevada. Just once, I'd like to hear this: "I believe that politics will prevail on Yucca Mountain. We in the nation's capital don't give a whit about the science."

And now for the rest of Bush's statement: "As president, I would not sign legislation that would send nuclear waste to any proposed site unless it's been deemed scientifically safe. I also believe the federal government must work with the local and state governments that will be affected to address safety and transportation issues."

Let me address the second sentence first. It means nothing. And considering that the feds have shown no inclination to consider states' rights since the original Nuclear Waste Policy Act was passed in 1982, and recalling Bush's disdain for states' rights in an analogous Texas case, it really is meaningless.

The other sentence, though, could -- I repeat, could -- be charitably viewed as an implied statement that he would veto any bill regarding Yucca Mountain before it is declared safe. But, to employ a perfectly worded cliche for the occasion, actions speak louder than words. Bush has yet to utter a peep about how he feels about lowered radiation standards, interim storage or the specific bill Clinton vetoed.

His current position -- science, not politics -- may be the same blather the president and others disgorge about the project. But unlike Clinton, who made interim storage disappear and threatened multiple vetoes, Bush has not had to perform on the issue. So why does Bush speak now? Why after months of his tongue being twisted does it now become, well, forked?

Since the Democrats began to exploit the administration veto and the GOP Congress' activism on the dump, Pete Ernaut, an adviser to Guinn and Senate contender John Ensign's campaign manager, has been trying to elicit something, anything, from the Bush campaign. After finally getting to Bush's top adviser, Karl Rove, Ernaut saw some movement but the statement was still stuck in oblivion for weeks.

Finally, Sig Rogich, the former White House aide and friend of the Bush family, urged Rove to act. Rogich spoke to Rove by phone last week while he was in Washington meeting with Arizona Sen. John McCain and oddsmaker Danny Sheridan on the NCAA betting bill. A short time afterward, the statement was drafted.

Guinn and Ensign put out silly statements Tuesday making it sound as if Bush were Churchillian. It reminded me of the kind of hosannas reserved by Democrats for Clinton and Gore on the dump.

So what do Bush's words really mean, besides making it easier to raise money here? As a political blade in the interminable and pointless partisan sword-crossing, at least the Republicans now have a weapon. But as an expression of true love for Nevada, it feels more like a one-election stand to me.