European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 21, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 1q the stars and stripes columns Russell Baker Nicaragua not finished testing Reagan Bush fittingly president Reagan sent american troops South id threaten Nicaragua on the same Day Hakim North Poindexter and Secord were indicted for their efforts to finance the overthrow of the nicaraguan govern ment. Various Democrat leaped to mils the paint by suggesting the while House s warlike posturing was designed to sub merge the indictment news under troop to Vernoni headlines. Well the truth is the White House just in t very Clever about news manipulation now that Michael dealer Miner of the photo Opportunity is no longer there. Also it makes no tense for the presi Dent to pin himself Down in Honduras just to blot out u one Day Story about the old Iran Contra Crew gelling indicted. Surely the Iran Contra Story can t Hurt the White House any longer. After the final punic War the romans sowed car Thage in Salt and though Iran can Ira has t been quite thai devastating id the while House whatever happens from Here on can Only serve to make the rub ble Bounce. People who dread the Prospect of a Bush presidency refuse to believe the scandal s deadly Sling is spent they now daydream about just one More Juicy item that will destroy the Bush Campaign. Such is desperation s foolishness. Exhaustively collected political evidence leaves Lille room to believe Bush can be stopped by anything Short of 3 real live candidate something neither party seems Likely to produce before the year is out if Ever. With television and press having Al ready Given the nomination id the vice president and with polls assuring us he beats All democrats in november Bush hat been elected even earlier in inc Campaign than president Thomas e. Dewcy who Defeated Harry Truman in 1948 be fore Arbor Day. The Rush election has already Given Rise to a new political aphorism you can l beat nobody Wilh nobody Gallup Harris and other polling colossi Are in peeled soon in Marl polling to find out Lex me se6, am ort66a. Cd old  be6m orte6a. Who the Public wants Bush id be if any body after his election is formalized. Which brings us Back to president Reagan sending the american troops to the tropics. Fittingly we said their dispatch coincided with the Iran Contra indictments. Why fittingly because Nicaragua is president Reagan s tar baby. On the very Day of the indictments of the people who so zealously helped him destroy his second term to put the Boot into red Nicaragua the president gratified every critic who predicted he would end up sending . Soldiers to Flohl a Central american War. For years president Reagan has been powerless to resist the temptation to shoot himself in the fool every time somebody says  Nicaragua is one or the few things that has the Power to Madden his normally Bland set possessed Man Fie has publicly and aloud admitted that he wants to hear Nicaragua a  he Hai publicly and aloud admitted that something about Nicaragua Young bolshevik Boss Daniel Ortega gives him a fast Burn and hinted that to May be Ortega s designer Sun glasses. And yes let the worst be said he a even us Tempich to strangle Onega s red Nicaragua Fay hopping the Iii Inry of the United slates from eating Nita a Guan bananas. No need up Mitt the wounds he Hai inflicted on himself with the Iran Comra affair the show of contempt Tor the world court the attempt to make the Cia function with soviet cunning in an area where secrecy for such manipulations was impossible. Nicaragua president Reagan just cannot Loots that Way without doing something to make a bad situation worse. The spectacle of the great Yan Kee communicator sputtering and Fum ing in frustration about a Ricky Dunk country hearkens some of his country men and amuses others but leaves Moil asking in embarrassed whispers which one is Nicaragua when hit strategic thinkers unroll the map of Central Amer Ica and glower at Lite to audience before demanding More millions for Freedom  still it is a sign thai the president Down deep is More than a Ripper More than 3 photo Opportunity subject More than a great communicator that he is also human. What of president to be Bush will the polls show his countrymen want him to he human too if so can Bush do it1 the test will come after his inauguration everybody  president Reagan intends his last presidential act id be granting pardons id Hakim North Point crier and see Ord. But that he will forget to do it before leaving washing ton. Then the question will be can Bush be human enough a do it for him Miguel Antonio Bernal current . Policy hurting Only panamanians Gen. Manuel Antonio Noriega serves a useful purpose by focusing attention on the problems of Panama but he is not the True source of the current risk tic militarisation of Panama is the source. The american people must understand this if they Are id help solve our common problems. Noriega As a strongman Imd drug thug personifies inc panamanian mess and his impending departure will Hygin the process of democratic change in Panama. Hut in will not end there. Jusi As Noriega replaced Gen. Omar Torrijos Herrera Noriega s military offi cers will Lake his place. If current . Policy continues they will enjoy inc support of the Pentagon and the Cia. The new goons will be equally despicable. Democracy an honest gov. Cent Cal and an end to drug smuggling will be possible in Panama Only after the . Government stops be Lieving that military support creates a stable Environ ment for the Panama canal. As a Symbol of corruption Noriega is unsurpassed. I am reminded of a Victor Hugo passage that describes , the i9th-Nlury French despot. A paraphrase of Hugo using Noriega s name illustrates inc Way such leaders legitimize their violent ways " Jen. Noriega s drug trafficking is Noi drug Traffick ing it is called National Security Gen. Noriega s Money laundering is not Money laundering in is called International business Gen. Noriega s arms traffic is not arms traffic it is called National interest Gen. Noriega s repression ii not repression it is called de sense of order Gen. Noriega s accomplices arc not called bandits they Are called military officers Magis Rales District attorneys and senators even though Noriega provides a useful focal Point. Current . Fixation on him is symptomatic of some of the defects of the american government s Panama Nian policy. Some of these flaws Are old but we can learn from our mistakes. . Policy is based on canal treaties negotiated by inc Carter administration with Gen. Torrijos in causing a Cash crisis. This lactic is hawed in Many ways. First it has been Gime that had overthrown a constitutional civilian government in 1968, the United Stales never gave Panama a Chance at a legitimate government. The United states compounded the error in i9h4, when it supported an election process now widely agreed to be fraudulent. It cause the . Government lacked a coherent strategy to remove Noriega it indicted him and hoped that he would leave. Measures against him continue to be administered on an and hoc basis. Until the More stringent military alerts of the last few Days for exam ple officers of the panamanian defense forces were cat ing and drinking in . Military area cafeterias and ban buying goods at the pm and using a . Military communications infrastructure. Finally because tie . Government lacked a Cohe rent strategy in has rushed id embrace the ideas of president Eric Arturo Delvalle a Noriega puppet until just a few weeks ago. Dflvalle s strategy is based on Noriega who has plenty of Cash reserves. Third it is temporary. What will happen after the cup Iraklion of Federal orders freezing panamanian deposits fourth it has deprived Ordinary citizens of food and Medicine. Panamanians Are a peaceful people but any population deprived of food and Medicine be comes prone to violence. Noriega has painted the situation in such a Way that panamanians blame the United states for inc Lack of Cash. What happened to the polish people in 1981. When Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski Sci cd Power and inc United Stales with Drew economic lines of support must not happen again the Reagan administration appears prepared to rant True this lactic but in must remember the consequences when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers. I Mcgurl Antn Rua Boi fut Tel fwd Diahl a to two plot Max of  Roll Ihrl a Klicin Colum Al Nonn a for h u hit t a Chi ii Tell ii do no annal ump qty of p Llie opinions expressed in the columns and ear too on this Page represent those of the authors and in in no nay to be considered As representing the fear of the stun ind stripes or the United slates government