A just-released book about Vice President-elect Dan Quayle quotes him saying several downright nasty things about Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
But Quayle called Hatch this week to apologize, according to Hatch's assistant press secretary, Jeanne Lopatto."The Making of a Senator: Dan Quayle" was released Tuesday by Congressional Quarterly Press. It is written by University of Rochester political scientist Richard F. Fenno Jr. and focuses on Quayle's role in the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982.
In the book, Fenno said Quayle told him that "Hatch is completely disorganized" as then-chairman of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, so Quayle worked with Sen. Edward Kennedy to write a bipartisan job training bill.
Quayle reportedly ignored Reagan administration requests, backed by Hatch, to allow the administration to frame its own bill.
Fenno writes that Quayle said of Hatch at the time, "I can't deal with him. I had to go around him. I asked him to join me, but that's not his conception - joining. He wants to be the leader. He thinks it should be his bill. Well, it's my bill. I did all the work on it. I told him, `Maybe you can get away with this with somebody else, but not me.' Hatch doesn't accomplish anything."
Lopatto said Quayle called Hatch on Monday before the book was released to apologize for his comments. "I think Sen. Hatch is a bit amused by it," she said.
"The comments were apparently made years ago in a fit of anger."
She added that Hatch and Quayle now have a good working relationship, and have worked on much legislation together.
"Sen. Hatch looks forward very much to working with Vice President Quayle," she said, adding that no bad blood exists.