European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 14, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 columns Jim Fain the stars and stripes tuesday july 14.19s7 North had guidance in Oil his Covert operations Oliver North is the kind of Patriot i d be comforted to have in the next foxhole. The notion thai he ran . Covert operations alone and unsupervised never made sense. He was guided he says by the late William j. Casey director of the Central intelligence Agency. He says he reported scrupulously to his Bosses Bud Mcfarland and vice adm. John Pom Duxler. He was set up to be the fall Guy when the Iran scam blew up. He accepted that role until faced with the threat of criminal charges. Then in the soap theater of the hearings he implicated All three and threw in Secretary of slate George Shulti and attorney general Edwin Melesc Iii for Good measure. They will have a Chance to cd their stories but we now have the Basic answers except to the question of How much Casey told president Reagan. Poinde Jiter May shed Light on the question but it s also possible we will never know the answer to that one. Actually it mailers Little except As a measure of Reagan s duplicity. We already know he approved ran soming hos tages with arms and lied to the american people about it. We know he wanted Ilic contras amid. Whether he Actu ally approved the use of arms Sale profits for that purpose William Buckley is significant but not the Central Issue though North blamed Congress the fact is. Reagan is responsible for his plight. North worked for Reagan who said he fired him for not telling him about the fund diversion despite the fac North had written five memos to his Bosses seeking Reagan s approval. The president made no Effort to hear North s Side of the Story though he complained repeatedly of having in deceived and professed eagerness to get the fads. Thai s a shabby bit of Buck passing leaving one Loyal Marine hanging out to dry while the Gipper Flics around the country making political speeches. It also says something about the problems of conducting Cov Ert operations in a democracy. North believes cloak and Dagger tricks arc necessary to survive in p dangerous world and some May be. Bui As most intelligence veterans can Allesi. Many backfire. We have had notable failures the Bay of pigs Chile lans and the last few years in Iran to name a few. Covert projects involving Largel scale paramilitary operations invariably become known indeed the nicaraguan affair May be la Best advertised Cov cart War in history. Once known they inevitably pro Voke political debate. Then they arc sustainable Only if supported by the Public. Polls show Contra Aid never has been hacked by a plural Ity in this country despite constant tub thumping from Reagan and others. The refusal of the administration to permit diplomatic efforts to sic Cal seems Well under stood. As for Iran there is revulsion to ran soming prison ers and even move to arming the Aya Tolleth. North Testi fied he was squirming Over that until the ubiquitous or. Ghorbani far pointed out he could skim profits for the contras then it seemed neat to North and an enjoyable irony to Casey who referred 10 it As the ultimate Covert  this disgraceful transgression of our stated policy against yielding to terrorism outraged most americans. Reagan and Casey along Wilh Loyal troops like North violated the fundamental beliefs of their countrymen. A democracy cannot Long function against the will of its people. Thai s Why Covert operations should be few Small scale and carefully screened. They cannot be. As a Czigan and Casey believed the Basic engine of foreign policy. Co nil i or Vire democrats Don of like to criticize fellow demos i feel obliged to say a word or two about the Houston television Confer ence with the seven democratic presidential aspirants Over which i presided intending to help succeeding conferences of which. One gathers there will be Many. Tom Wicker wrote in his column in the new York times two things one of Thim evaluative the second predictive. The strongest and Saddest impression this viewer look away from the collective appearance of the democratic presiden tial candidates on National television was that Snow White was missing while the seven dwarfs rattled on he wrote. Well in the first place the democrats can t produce Snow White on demand. In the second place Tom Wicker s Snow Vilc might appear to a lot of the rest of America As Dracula. But to gut on. That because the Genera ver dict on this first of what will be Many dreary candidate Callic Sho a seems to be that everybody won because nobody really lost but if everybody won. Ihen in fan nobody  the same Point had been made elsewhere to the Delight of most democrats what he conference showed Wilh this or that difference in emphasis was considerable unanimity thus the debate. Made no one happier than the democratic National chairman Paul g. Kirk jr., who wants at All costs to keep the contest in his party quiet. This morning he declared himself quite pleased with the result wrote . Dionne or. In the new York times. Now pleasing Paul Kirk or even the democratic party is not necessarily the primary objective of such a conference and in Arr. Hai i was involved in its Archile Clu a let me share with you some thing that did not come off because there was no time and to give also a practical idea that might help in the future thinking precisely to avoid a love fest i prepared a segment and scheduled it for just before the closing statements of the candidates. Here exactly is what i had written Down to say the final formality of the evening is an inv Ilarion to each candidate to de scribe the relative weaknesses of an adversary. Obviously Cicery candidate Here thinks himself Best qualified lube Nomi Nalcy and to serve As president which requires him logically Loraie the other candidates As however lightly. Handi capped by comparison. By  on my Nghi i shall ask   cry Bis or it turned out that by the Luck of the draw on my right was Cov. Bruce Babbitt to comment for one minute on the relative weaknesses of whatever candidate s name i draw from the Glass in front of me. And indeed such a Glass was Handy Wilh paper strips each bearing a Candy Lac s name 1 begin by asking gov. Babbitt to discuss the candidacy of whatever name t Drew at this Point one would have needed a Little firmness. If the name drawn had been let us say. Sen Albert Gore Proba Bly gov. Babbie would have said some thing on the order of i greatly Admire Al Gore. He is a Fine Democrat who has rendered great services to his constituents. His father. Sen. Gore was also a Fine senator and i was Ginaj to see Hurri Here  the . Especially in launch ing tin1 idea needs now to be very firm no no no gov. Babbitt you Are nol invited to talk about sen. Gore s strengths but about his  predictable next move i have a vision for America. I Sec a land that needs to solve its fundamental economic social and International problems and has the Faith and the fortitude to do  no no gov. Babbitt you Are not invited to talk about your strengths these Are Well advertised we want the relative weaknesses of sen. Gore Well you get the idea. But you will need to wrench it out of them since Al though All the gentlemen there Are com pm a stirs they tin not like in affront their  bul they should he made to do so. Gov. Lib by 1\ir instance might say i do Nui Law Ului be thinks Ihus. Bul he might u in just the we that Al cliin1 is too Bunp in be Pii irn All that responsibility  Giuld. When his turn came up Point out that Alenander the great Mutlu have been his son Etc Etc. But a Little More Ginger would have got Inlo he occasion. At a practical level almost everything in such television proceedings depends on Lime and the search should be for something less Cul and dried than the Guillotine yet something More Force Ful than simply a raised Palm i spent most of the evening with my hand upraised As though i were waving to my Mother on television. A practical suggestion three enor Mous stopwatches situated nil degrees apart from the speaker which after his Lime has gone turn a i Laihing red thoroughly Disora clog the audience from what the sneaker is same. It is Only such  in it Cuvo speakers to Slop. To in As deadlines time columnists to snip