European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 12, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars and stripes James Reston monday september 12, 1977 Tauk about Wastrel Lance defense May be costly to Carter president Carter is now risking his prestige on the defense of his personal Friend Bert Lance and is in danger of losing both. The question is Why what explains this divisive distraction from his other larger objectives at Home and abroad this is what Washington would like to know. General Degaulle maintained that pres Tige in a political Leader required both a Clear determination and a certain aloof Ness. Something hidden or withheld. This gave the leaders of men he said in the Edge of the sword an element of Surprise and mystery that kept both their opponents and their lieutenants in a state of respect Ful tension. This does t sound much like Jimmy Carter who has talked so much about Down Home Candor. But his handling of the Lance affair so aloof and full of mystify ing clarifications has Washington wonder ing again just when it was beginning to get a Little More comfortable with him what makes Jimmy tick. You hear All sorts of explanations in this City of Amateur psychiatrists. Those who know him Best and even they concede that they Don t know him very Well begin with simple loyalty. Bert Lance one of them says is the sort of Guy who when his friends come to him in trouble asks no questions but helps them out. Lance is not Only a Gambler with other people s Money but also according to this amiable interpretation a Gambler on people. He backed Carter when Carter was Jimmy who so Carter Sticks by him even if it hurts. That is one personal explanation by his Georgia friends. Another is that Jimmy Carter is a very stubborn Man who Rose to the presidency against the advice of almost everybody but a few Georgia friends and therefore is not intimidated by his critics or impeded by excessive doubts about his own judgment and personal rectitude. Then there is another theory to explain Carter s actions and inaction which May be More regional than personal. In the Small towns of the South people May Divide politically even violently but they remain neighbors retain the ties of families from generation to generation and Rush to unite whenever one of them is at tacked from outside. A this of course May be sentimental rubbish. As a general Rule it s a poor idea in Washington to try to Psychoanal be presi dents motives or Puzzle out what s in peo ple s minds. Presidents usually get in trouble not because of what they re think ing but because they Aren t thinking at All not because of conspiracies but be cause of carelessness or Wilfulness. Jimmy Carter is not a careless Man he is a Glutton for details but he is a determined and wilful Man who is not amused by opposition or criticism. Presi Dent Ford at least looked at the facts and the risks before he pardoned Richard Nixon to get rid of him though he miscalculated the risks but Carter pardoned Bert Lance before All the facts were in. And his staff either through ignorance timidity or unintended intimidation did t protect  is no great indictment but merely another Puzzle about Carter. Washington respects personal and political loyalty i lives by it. But there has been such a confusion of loyalties around Here in recent years loyalties to friends rather than to Laws and so Many doubts As to How presidents make decisions and use their extraordinary Powers that the press and the con Gress belatedly Are pressing the issues of the Lance Case. The Issue is not really Lance. He is the victim and not the cause of the problem. The Issue is How the problem was created in the first place How Carter picked him without checking out the facts and what is now to be done about removing the doubts and maintaining the integrity of the admin  after Lance is gone and few people in Wasington doubt that he will have to go things will be different. There Are doubts in the Congress that did t exist before. The committee of the Senate that had to confirm the nomination of Lance As head of the office of management and budget probably the most powerful Agency of the executive feels that some How it confirmed juice without evidence that was  Lance deceived Carter by with holding information from him and the Fri from the comptroller of the currency about Lance s dubious banking practices in Cal Houn ga., and elsewhere or Carter if he had the information deceived the con Gress. Either Way the relations Between the executive and Senate committee have been confused. Also the relations Between the White House and the press have been poisoned by statements on behalf of the president that misled the press and press reports that dramatized the controversy and infuriated the president and his aides. So in this first personal controversy of the new administration some of the Early magic has been lost. Carter for whatever reasons Good or bad has not handled things very Well has even seemed to put his friends ahead of his principles and embarrassed the Congress and the administration in the process. The loss is recoverable but it will probably take a longtime. C new York times Ira c. Eaker the Kremlin test proves a Point our National leaders in the White House the Pentagon and Congress have been and Are presently confronted with Many critical aspects of our no. 1 problem the National Security. The size of our defense budget. A Safe strategy for the future. Weapons systems required. Military manpower problems and solutions. These Are among the primary subdivisions of the Issue of our survival in today s world climate. The answers to All these critical prob lems will depend upon an accurate assess ment of the threat. Currently and As far As we can see into the future that threat is Russia s growing military strength and purpose. No other nation possesses the Power to Challenge our Security. The leadership of no other nation has expressed a determination to destroy us. For More than two decades after world War ii the . Was the dominant world Power. That dominance was never a threat to any other nation or people. The Vietnam War  primarily responsible for the vast change in the balance of Power. We expended More than $100 billion in the tactical conflict while allowing our strategic nuclear forces steadily to de Cline. Russia took advantage of that Opportunity dramatically increasing her strategic nuclear Power. The soviets have More bombers More icbms and More slams than the . Has. This added to her Long held vast superiority in general purpose forces divisions tanks ships and air Craft renders her combined military strength Superior to ours. That added to the expressed hostility of her leadership is the essence of the pre sent ominous threat to our Security. Vietnam did something else aside from its Cost. It diminished the Unity of our toc