European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 17, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes William Safire new abdication of governmental responsibility in ttic1 Var War .  _. It is the most unassailable respectable bipartisan perfectly balanced and universally welcomed idea to Cometo fruition in years. It is widely recognized to be the product of Cool headed Compromise Between two branches of government and the Pri vate sector praying that we can still face up to a grave crisis. It has been peopled by the finest assemblage of patriotic Wise capable self less and reverent americans known to who s who the most a dirty dozen that could be found anywhere. I speak of our new National economic commission 12 Good men and True who have just been charged by Congress and the president with the task of studying he Federal budget for he next year an coming up with Cven handed fair minded above the Battle recommendations to reduce the deficit. Who could Cavil at such a display of consensus when partisan politics has failed who would be the Skunk at such an elegant and timely Garden party a medium hello to All. I think the Nec is another abdication of govern mental responsibility a fuzzing Over of two party political accountability and a sneaky elitist editorial isl establishment Rian plot o substitute think tank do Good ism for the democratic judgment of the american people. The idea germinated in the Fertile brain of Felix Rosalyn Wall Street s or. Clean and was championed by gov. Mario Cuomo and new York s two senators. I of crafts in Congress were aware that the u t president if a Democrat would need bipartisan cover for a tax increase. Congressional republicans did not see this trap and so the Nec came into being. The democrats chose first sen. Dan Iel Moynihan of new York took one oils two congressional scats rep. William Gray of Pennsylvania the other. Chrys Ler s Lee Loc Occa was named and Al Cio chief Lane Kirkland there was Feli Rohatyn and Youngish elder statesman Robert Strauss. Last week the Republican Side was chosen sen. Pete Dominici of new Mexico and rep. Bill Franz cd of Minne Sota Dean Klc Ckner Drew Lewis and former defense secretaries Don rums Andrew j. Glass How of this happen a wh0  this Junker the Feld and Caspar  slots were left open for the next president to pay off a couple of women Active in his Campaign. Creaking tables of figures will be produced As if the output of Fth bomb in i voluminous enough with the conclusion not in doubt some kind of spending freeze combined with a lax in crease. That s inside the Bellway Belt tightening unless a recession hits and makes the deficit popular again. Two months after the new president takes office he is to be presented with the combined Wisdom of the Washington Newyork political establishment never mind your mandate pay heed instead to what prepackaged bipartisan economic policy will make it possible to do. It is presumed that president x will be delighted with this Chance. Right off the Bat the new administration will be Able to do what the Reagan administration was not Able to do Muster bipartisan congressional support for a Quick budget fix that will be hailed by Nec Niks As  thus would the next presidency be emasculated at birth. Blue Obbon commis Sions have a place in providing Succour for the politically sensitive the social Secu Rity commission was an example but in Overall governance on matters of vast National policy our government is supposed to Wear the Blue ribbon. We have had one abdication of responsibility for making specific Deci Sions via Gramm Rudman s automatic Pilot we now arc being offered a new abdication via the Best of our Power Bro kers with the brightest intentions. With out these gimmicks we Are told lawmakers cannot regain control of our budget. But we hire people to make those choices. They arc Pur elected representatives. And we hire a person to fight through the Agenda on which he was elected that s the new president. Pre election consensus is never As healthy As political conflict and electoral Resolution. Scrap now con sense later. If we Are about to fix responsibility for the budgetary mess the Congress has placed us in let s do it at the polls and not Rig the next economic policy with some stultifying consensus beforehand. Nov York to ftps Mai Servic Winner will inherit turmoil in Central America when the struggle for the presidency finally ends the eventual Winner will be rewarded with some bitter fruit he will have to Deal with rampant turmoil in Central America. It has become Clear that Ronald Reagan will be unable to leave his successor a clean slate on which to revamp latin policy. Jimmy Carter had granted Rea Gan extra headroom there by forging decent relations with the sandinista and by forcing treaties through the Senate on the Panama canal that averted bloody encounter. Carter s Benefactor it appears won t be Able to re turn the favor. There s always a Chance Reagan will strike a bargain with Mikhail Gorbachev during their Moscow Summit in late May. Unofficially the soviet Leader has let it be known that he might concede ground on latin America if Washington granted him More exercise space Over Afghanistan. Reagan however does t fathom the geopolitical big picture As did say Richard Nixon. Besides to Reagan s Way of thinking the Good Guys Are winning in Afghanistan. So wily aral the Good Guys however Aren t doing so Well in Nicaragua a High priority Issue since 1983. In All that time the president has stood easy with Panama. Now that Panama demands top attention a new president May have to Cope with both a new mess and an old one. Not surprisingly disingenuous people seek to link the two. The . Political right claims Carter canal Giveaway reflected american weakness and emboldened Moscow to pitch a base Camp in Man Agua. Reagan who had opposed the treaties As a Candi Date would have gotten off to quite a different Start As president if he had not had them in his pocket. In turning up the heat on the sandinista he used Panama As a rebel Piggy Bank and a staging Center. Trouble is that Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega the strongman of Panama turned out to be a double Deal ing drug runner who played Footsie with Cuba s Fidel Castro. What s More Noriega May dig up dirt. Quite Possi Bly he could even throw some of it at Reagan s heir presumptive vice president George Bush. The Bush people naturally Hope it won t sell in the United states. What s really not Selling however Are Reagan lofty notions about Contra Aid a working majority exists in the House against any sort of further help ballistic or humanistic. One Leader who can crack the anti Contra front is March of roman Catholic Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo As mediator of the stalled cease fire talks. Conversely As the contras plunge into deeper trouble they become More reasonable negotiators. After having first cancelled peace talks with Ortega steam they now ask for a fresh Start with an open Agenda and top level brokers. The contras know that their Best Chance of winning a future Aid package even one possibly including guns rests with negotiating a blow up that can be pinned on the sandinista. Their game is to go on talking until the political climate in Washington turns in their favor without agreeing to an arrangement which leaves Power Insan Kimsta hands. The sandinista have a different set of equations. The civil War that brings them soviet Aid helps mask their economic woes. They fear Moscow with fewer the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on thl i Page represent those of the authors and Are in do Way to be considered As representing the View of the Sun and stripes or the United slates government