Short Takes

Peretz Predicts Bush Will Fail

"By the time we get to the midterm elections in 1990, J. Danforth Quayle will have been elevated to the level of a serious statesman."

No, this was not the punchline of last night's David Letterman monologue. It was one of many observations and predictions Martin H. Peretz, editor-in-chief of The New Republic, offered last night to a Cambridge audience of about 50.

Peretz, who is also a lecturer on Social Studies, began his speech on the presidential campaign by saying, "I am going to talk about the election--about why Dukakis lost and why Bush won't be able to govern."

The loss had two primary causes. Dukakis's personality and his ideology, Peretz said. "I can count on my one hand the Dukakis voters who were not in his direct employ who were actually enthusiastic supporters of Mike Dukakis on November 8."

The most telling moment in the campaign came during the second debate, when Dukakis was unable to name his personal heroes, Peretz said. "One begins to think that this man's only hero is really himself."

"This was the first national campaign ever not to be run out of Washington," Peretz said. "It was run by Harvard men and women and all Harvard men and women are serenely confident."

Ideologically, much of the campaign's difficulty reflected problems in the Democratic Party itself, Peretz said. "The Democratic Party has become the party of Blacks, some Hispanic groups, and liberal white women. It's an interesting coalition but not one that can win."

Peretz spoke at the home of two members of the Cambridge Civic Assocation, a local political group that sponsored the talk.

Israeli General Speaks at Hillel

The policies of the next Israeli government may lead to another Arab-Israeli war, a retired Israeli general told a Harvard-Radcliffe Hillel audience of about 100 last night.

Dr. Ephraim Sneh, the former chief of civil administration on the West Bank, said, "I think now we can issue a death certificate [for the peace process], if this is the government that Shamir is going to force."

Yitzhak Shamir heads the Israeli Likud party, which is expected to form the next Israeli government.

The policies of the Likud party regarding the Palestinian uprising call for tougher measures than those taken by Yitzhak Rabin, the current Minister of Defense, Sneh said, adding that he thinks these policies will isolate Israel in the international community.

The more aggressive actions of a Likud government will result in pressure on Egypt to end diplomatic relations with Israel, and Egypt would then unite with the other Arab countries, Sneh said.

"The combination of an isolated Israel plus a united Arab world--this is a prescription for war," Sneh said.

Sneh is currently the director of the Golda Meir Association, an Israeli foundation whose goal is to teach Israeli high school students the values of democracy and pluralism.

`Disability' Curtain Rises

"Disability: a comedy, a pray about disability, left some members of the audience speechless during its premiere performance last night at the Kennedy School of Government Forum.

The play was described by several audience members as chilling and thought-provoking. "I'm not sure I can collect my views about the play right now," said Joseph McCarthy, executive assistant to the dean at the K-School and faculty coordinator for persons with disabilities.

"I don't know what will happen after this at the school. but I'm sure this will make a difference. You can't go away from this unchanged."

The play is about a quadripleigic's relationship with his family and with a woman who also uses a wheelchair. As the plot progresses the quadripleigic's family relationship is portrayed as increasingly bizarre and perverse. By the end, the characters have created their own warped world which is completely detached from reality.

The black comedy, a Pulitzer prize nominee, is the latest in an Institute of Politics Student Advisory Committee (SAC) annual series of issue-related productions. The play was chosen for its relevance to the issue of disability as well as for its artistic merit said Dan Berger '89, the play's executive producer.

"We wanted to help the students here who will be public administrators think about the disabled not just in terms of helping students with disabilities, but also in terms of recognizing people with disabilities as resources to society. This play depicts how a person who has the capability to be a great resource was prevented from doing so by a perverted, distorted family structure." said McCarthy.

The play has also had an impact on its cast. "In preparation for the show I went with friends to the Border Cafe in a wheelchair." said actress Jennifer Lack '89 who said her views of the disabled had changed because of the play.

"It's very hard for people to talk to someone in a wheelchair," said Lack. "Racism is a horrible thing. but seeing how people reacted--some can't even look at disabled people."

In accordance with the social awareness focus of the series, the SAC has decided to donate proceeds from the production to the Boston Center for Independent Living, a nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities find independent living quarters.

Shows will run at 8 p.m. Friday. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $4.