European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 6, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes columns James Reston Reggan unlikely to change Way of oof rating de Muskie summarized the critical cause of the Iran Centra scandal when he declared thai it was a failure of responsibility and the Tower commission left no doubt that this responsibility and this failure was the presidents he will undoubtedly accept hat responsibility no Wand Irv to restore his credibility but this is a Lime for dear thinking and Plain speaking. He has lost the Confidence of Congress and this will not be restored by confessing error and promising to take charge in his last two years. The situation is too serious Tor that. In fact under any other system of government the parliamentary system Tor example he would lose a vote of Confidence and we would now be facing an election. So changes will have to be made. Yet president Rea Gari is not now and never has been a take chante  expect him suddenly to be a Strong president in command of the intricate negotiations that lie be fore him would be unreasonable and probably unwise. He May change his tune and change his team but he snot Likely in nil 77th year to change his casual ways of doing , Congress would t follow him if he tried. He has completed sin years in the while House wit the largest annual budget deficit and the largest Trade deficit in the history of the  tact the United states is now buying More Agri cultural products abroad than it is Selling and its National debt is now not Only larger than any other nation s today but greater than the debt of All other american presidents combined. Meanwhile his conduct or misconduct of fore policy with the russians and in Central America i the Middle East a divided Congress and conf the North Atlantic Alliance. Me never really persuaded Congress Lithological Supply Side economics at Home or Law Star wars nuclear policy abroad but blinded twp Copleand intimidated Congress with the magic this per Sonal popularity which he has now lost in he lost it nol because he Dele Gathis authority but because he delegated it to in wrong people and did not keep his oath of office tone that the Law were faithfully executed. A this difficulty he can still repay though the time i Short. He retains the Power of Jaboin Lenl which he has abused for fix Long Yea Smul he seems to have Learned a lesson in the recent flip by choosing Howard Bak Affif Tennessee As his chief of staff in the White Hur then withdrawing his nomination of Roben a fates As the Cia director and nominating Willian Webster instead he has recognized that he has Namme for More unnecessary controversies with Congo is. But he still has a Long Way logo. The could begin putting his own House in order since nobody a Teolah Nancy. U would also be useful if he resolved the routes in his own Cabinet Over the control of Nucher weapons. He has made a Start by welcoming Hail Gorbachev s offer on intermediate Range or Silas and instructing our Geneva negotiators to Rijkent a draft treaty in response. This will require Sijah approach to Congress which must  i reached. It i of late to keep his Promise to balance  so Many unimaginable things have Nap Penju recently thai it still May be possible to achieve balance of Power. This is the presiding problem of world politics an May still be within the president s reach. Franklin Roosevelt faced a similar situation near Heend of world War ii. Mindful of the defeat of the league of nations Al the end of the first world War be brought Republican leaders into negotiations with the Senate to discuss postwar problems and establish the United nations. By such foresight he avoided Woodrow Wilson tragic Battles with the Senate. It was Roosevelt s final achievement. Reagan despite All his recent troubles might Giitl do the same. There Are Many problems still to be resolve Din the nuclear Field but this is not a partisan Issue with the new democratic Leaden in the House and Senate in Sam Nunn of Georgia for example the chair Man of the Senate armed services committee the president has a knowledgeable ally in this Field an there Are Many others like hint who would help negotiate and ratify a treaty before Reagan  the president however can resolve the differences within his Cabinet and produce the bipartisan policy he says he wants. Nunn and the others can t help him unless they re invited. Tom Wicker Gorbachev a Jade an offer Reagan can f reject the european allies May retaking counsel of their fears but the Rea Gan administration has responded with alacrity to Mikhail Gorbachev s new offer to negotiate the removal of medium Range nuclear missiles from Europe. No wonder. Even Richard a Perle this adminis it ration i or. No saw Promise in g Chev s statement which freed the  of missiles in Europe from link to restrictions on president re strategic defense initiative. This a tags an agreement close enough to Hen since Gorbachev and Reagan had worked out its Basic provisional to Iceland Summit meeting. Such a agreement not on would Shore up Reagan s beleaguered adminis Talion it would be one of psf which he could take much credit sinc Phis deploy ment of missiles in europ probably did most to bring in so near in tuition. But the Gorbachev of Flor awakened the allies old fear of two coupling the concern that the . Intent to defend Europe with nuclear arms if necessary might be weakened european governments originally pushed for the deployment of american medium Range missiles even though it Pular with their Peoples. As a to the deployment of soviet is y reasoned that if Moscow used medium Range missiles in an attack Europe Only Washington might no willing to respond with its strategic f Siles directly on the soviet Union jut nato could respond. It was argued with missiles based in Europe. A soviet missile attack on Europe however would hit . Forces just As surely As a conventional attack thu triggering a certain . Response. Amer Ica moreover is not More Likely to re Spond with inner mediate Range missiles from Europe than with intercontinental ballistic missiles. That s not just because the penning us and cruise missiles can reach into tie soviet Union itself and if used certainly would cause a soviet response against the United slates just As would an1cbm attack. It s Agio because the use of any nuclear weapon by either Side wouldst certainly evoke a nuclear response and rapid nuclear escalation that there would be no practical distinction in the consequences of firing a Pershing ii fro West Germany or a minuteman 3 from Wyoming. No first us advocates in fact in Sist that neither the United slates nor the soviet Union is Likely to fire any size nuclear weapon at the other with deliberate intent because the certain result would be catastrophic. Each Side under stands that they argue so Public plans to use nuclear weapons like nato s flex Ible response Doctone have no real deterrent value. Thus the Only Good reason for  . Missiles in Europe other than satisfying nervous european govern ments was to respond to the soviet deployment of ss-20s in such a Way a possibly to produce the result now Al hand agreement to remove from Europe the medium Range missiles of both sides. So deep nevertheless Are european fears of decoupling that they May be a serious problem in forthcoming negotiations on the Gorbachev proposal. Those fears Are real and May ultimately be justified by events. But intermediate Range missiles Are nol in fact a Barrier to de coupling and the unrealistic idea that they Are cannot be allowed to stall a agreement that deployment was designed to produce. That agreement would take whole category of nuclear weapons off the Board within five years and eliminate 93 percent of soviet medium Range warheads Moscow and Washington each would be allowed to keep 100 such War Heads the russians in Asia us United states on its own territory. And since agreement might Breed More Trust a medium Range missile treaty could Lead Onlo More important developments. Thai s reason enough for  made his shrewdly aimed and limed proposal. Ronald Reagan after All not Only first proposed the Zero option1 on which the Iceland terms Are based his administration pushed through the mis Sile deployment in Europe that finally brought Moscow to accept those terms. He can hardly reject them now that they re separated from the ski particularly since he so badly needs the kind of achievement an arms control treaty would represent. Tough verification measures will  because of the mobility of the ss-20s. And something will have to Bedone about soviet Shorter Range missiles. Bui the possibilities make the require hard bargaining Well Worth the Effort.  Newt Stylc tin a int Muu at in cof Conni a Cut ooh on Pum bum m n tatar a in � no i u at to ova 11 Moran tote � i 01 hit Ami main poor in com he stud gown vat