Quayle Underlines Need to Point Out Risks in Clinton : Strategy: The vice president, in must-win Texas, says people have to recognize the necessity of experience in the Oval Office in times of crisis.

HARKER HEIGHTS, Tex. — Vice President Dan Quayle, campaigning in the Republican must-win state of Texas Saturday, laid out the GOP ticket’s line of attack for the campaign’s final 16 days.

Having seemingly failed during months of campaigning and three debates to convince the American public that the Administration has a credible plan for fixing the nation’s anemic economy, President Bush and the vice president intend to “hammer home” what they contend is the risk of electing Democrat Bill Clinton, Quayle said.

“People have got to think about what a Clinton Administration is going to be like,” Quayle told reporters at a stop in Tyler, Tex. “People had better start thinking about what it would be like with Clinton as President. . . . They ought to understand the risk associated with Bill Clinton.”

Like President Bush in his closing remarks in last Thursday’s presidential debate, Quayle stressed the need for experience in the Oval Office in times of crisis. He said he plans to return again and again to this issue in the campaign’s closing days in an effort to raise doubts about Clinton.

At a rally at the Harker Heights Pig Fest near Killeen in south-central Texas, Quayle elaborated on this theme before an audience heavily sprinkled with Persian Gulf War veterans and their families stationed at nearby Ft. Hood, home of the Army’s III Corps.

“I suppose that some people think that now that the Berlin Wall is down, that we’ve won the Cold War, that it’d be safe to have a Democratic President again,” Quayle said. “(But) the world is still a dangerous place and we need George Bush as our commander in chief.

“The American people need to think long and hard how a President Clinton would have responded to the Persian Gulf crisis,” the vice president said.

In the session with reporters, Quayle was asked whether Bush had given up hope of winning the election. The President’s performance in Thursday’s debate--described by some analysts as listless--as well as his unwillingness to engage in a spirited defense of his policies--has caused even some members of the White House staff to wonder whether Bush has decided to accept the prospect of defeat with dignity.

Quayle said: “That simply is not true. George Bush is not a quitter. He will fight until the very last minute. . . . He’s a pressure player. He does well when his back is against the wall. He’s a fourth-quarter player.”

The vice president added: “I have seen too many times when people have underestimated him in the past, and (they) are underestimating his desire and intensity and determination to win this election.”

The Republican ticket’s perilous condition was symbolized by the decision to send Quayle to Texas this late in the campaign. The state--Bush’s putative home--has been a reliable GOP stronghold in the last three presidential elections. But Republican polls show Bush holding at best a 5 percentage point lead over Clinton.

Quayle acknowledged that a variety of independent polls have shown Clinton with a solid lead nationwide and said he’d much prefer to be ahead at this stage.

“You can’t just totally dismiss the polls,” Quayle said. “But the electorate is volatile. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the American people. When you have that volatility and you have that uncertainty, anything can happen. I’d rather be in Clinton’s position, but I just don’t pay too much attention to the polls.”