Reagan's Moral Point Man

By Jacob V. Lamar Jr

He did not establish the Commission on Pornography, he did not sit in on its hearings, and even late last week he maintained that he had not read the report. Yet Attorney General Edwin Meese is widely regarded as the driving force behind the commission that he inherited from his predecessor, William French Smith. Indeed, in his 16 months in office, the former Presidential Counsellor has emerged as the Administration's chief crusader for Ronald Reagan's social agenda. It is Ed Meese who speaks out against judicial activism, openly challenges Supreme Court decisions through Justice Department briefs, and selects conservative ideologues for nomination to the federal judiciary in an effort to realize the Reagan Revolution in America's courts.

While the President makes plain his conservative views on abortion, school prayer and affirmative action, he has shunned active involvement in the right- wing campaigns on social causes. Meese is more than happy to jump into the fray and get his hands dirty. "He represents us on the conservative social issues. It's his franchise," says White House Communications Director Patrick Buchanan. "He speaks with the voice of the President if not at his specific direction."

Despite his adversarial zeal, Meese contends that his actions reflect the will of the people. "I hope we've been successful," he said in a TIME interview last week. "The President stands high in the opinion polls and the electoral polls because he stands for mainstream values. We wouldn't have been successful if his views hadn't struck a responsive chord with society."

Meese is quick to point out that the Justice Department has not called for sweeping bans on pornography or abortion. He thinks that state and local governments should be left to rule on such issues without federal intervention. Says Meese: "What's happening here is that over the years, people favoring a more permissive atmosphere tried to impose their views on society through the courts and through legislation. People are now resisting that, trying to reverse it. Our view is that these are legal issues that ought to be left to legislatures, as close to the people as possible."

So far the Attorney General's initiatives have encountered some stinging rebuffs. Rejecting arguments by the Justice Department, the Supreme Court has, in recent weeks, reiterated its commitment to abortion rights and affirmative action. Political pragmatists in the Administration have thus far thwarted Meese in his efforts to wipe out minority quotas for Government contracts through an Executive Order. Earlier this year when Meese endorsed a plan for random drug-testing of federal employees, a number of top Reagan aides criticized it as an invasion of privacy. And, of course, the methods and findings of the pornography commission have provoked a downpour of derision from liberals.

Because of his strongly conservative beliefs and his pugnacious demeanor, Meese is perhaps the most controversial figure in the Administration. Matters did not begin well with a yearlong struggle for confirmation, during which he admitted to helping get Government jobs for friends who had granted him loans, some of them interest free. Today, polls show that he is the only Reagan aide whose negative ratings exceed his positive marks. Liberal fund raisers, who find it difficult to run campaigns criticizing the popular President, have discovered that political literature condemning Meese can inspire generous donations. Ira Glasser, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, dubs the Attorney General the "James Watt of the Constitution."

Meese's name is often whispered as a potential Supreme Court nomination. The Attorney General seems equally unfazed by the criticism and the rumors of his one day sitting on the hallowed bench. For the time being, he appears focused on carrying out the President's social philosophy. "We're neither arbitrating morals nor trying to impose policy choices on others," declares Meese. "We're trying to enforce the law."

With reporting by David Beckwith/Washington