European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 10, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes sunday september 10,1989 David Broder . Needs Guys to Back up is words on Noriega in a generally Serene and hopeful world picture one irony stands out like a sore thumb. The soviet Union displays its forbearance by tolerating experiments in democracy in Poland and Hungary while the United states shows its self restraint by allowing democracy to be throttled in Panama. President Bush says there s a High frustration level Over the . Inability after two years of trying to rid the hemisphere of Manuel Antonio Noriega the drug running panamanian strongman. He s right to feel frustrated but he and this country also ought to feel angry and embarrassed about what s happened. It s the absence of such feelings both in this capital and among the voters that disturbs me. A few weeks ago. After the . Government had Passi vely watched the organization of american states Duck another deadline for dealing with Noriega i started asking knowledgeable people Why the United states with All its Power has been so ineffectual in dealing with this Tippo dictator. The answers i heard from members of Congress of both parties and officials of the Carter Reagan and Bush administrations who have dealt or Are dealing wit the panamanian problem were in composite a shameful Story of ineptitude. And then by Chance last weekend came across an essay by Margaret e. Scranton of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock which Laid out the picture in Clear terms. In the paper she prepared for the american political science association meeting in Atlanta she said that. ". Attempts to oust Gen. Noriega failed because. Policy makers operated under a mistakenly overconfident assess ment of . Influence. And underestimated Noriega s Power position and capacity to resist . almost everything 1 heard from my interviews tended Tob ear out her conclusion. Elliott Abrams the assistant Secre tary of state for latin american affairs in the Reagan administration said the Reagan administration made a fundamental mistake in taking on Noriega without being ready to win. We decided on confrontation before we agreed on what we would do to take him out. And whence called our Bluff we had to Back rep. Sam Jcj Dunson d-conn., who comes at the ques Tion from a much different perspective said that his con Gressional subcommittee teamed that when the Reagan administration ordered economic sanctions against none a in 1987, they had never sat Down. And done a Bot Tom line accounting of what it would Cost him. The exemptions they granted were enough for Noriega to live on. They did t come Down hard enough to dislodge him but these arc in a Way the easy answers. A Scranton Points out Long before the Reagan administration turned on Onega the United states helped create him. We aided him to set up a private army and a in vat Walter Mears latin american Pouch Supply line to Central America when he w As helping us sustain the contras another Folly. When he started moving drugs and laundering Money with the same net work we first looked the other Way. Later when we indicted him for drug trafficking an tried to Force him out of Power some of our latin in ends and allies could not Sec anything but another example of american imperialism. Even now the fact that this Guy is throttling democracy by the Throat does t Cut As much ice with them As the fact that he s standing up to the big brother of the Carter administrators Robert pastor and sol Linowitz argue that the big mistake was turning it into a figh Between Uncle Sam and Noriega instead of letting the panamanian opposition Call the signals. We should never have undertaken on our own to declare War on Noriega Linowitz says a significantly different analysis tha Abrams Contention that our mistake was declaring War without a Clear commitment to like sen. Richard Lugar r-ind., and rep. Robert Lagomarsino r-calif., argue that Bush s policy of International pressure will eventually pay off if Only we re Lull a Limiti Zuj Jato out to Tell Vivell Tuuu of a Tiff patient. But it s hard not to suspect that Abrams is Nghil when he says that Noriega views the Oas with unhappily we have also Given him reason to vie the United states with contempt he has negated our military Power by implied threats to sabotage the Panama canal and has shown he can easily survive our ineffectual economic sanctions and diplomatic now has the United slates responded by with drawing its ambassador. That s a in May Bush said if we fail to Send a Clear signal when democracy is imperilled the enemies of constitutional government will become More dangerous. And that s Why events in Panama place an enormous responsibility on All nations in the democratic Nice words but so far unsupported by action. Does no one give a Damn cd Lyhl Nguoi poll Wittan group methods not goal of drug fight in dispute in president Bush s renewed Waron drugs there s no political argument about the enemy the objective or even the weapons but partisan skirmishes already Are flaring Over priorities Price and the Way to pay for it. Stripped to essentials there really is no Republican Way to combat the drug men Ace and no democratic Way. The argument Between the parties which Means Between the White House and Congress is Over How fast and How much. And it also is Over new taxes. Bush says no the democrats say the Cost of the drug War Means at least maybe. Political infighting about the War on drugs probably was inevitable. It is ranked atop the current list of voter concerns i figured in the last Campaign and it May be the common denominator Issue in next year s congressional elections. Bush saw it coming. But those who judge our strategy Only by its Price tag Sim ply Don t understand the problem he said in his address to the nation. Let s face it we Veall seen in the past that Money alone won t solve some of our toughest prob the Bush strategy Points to a guns and butter sort of a War although the president said that there would be hard limes and High costs ahead. He said he wants to add$2.2 billion to the War on drugs. In budget terms All bul $716 million already is included in proposals the administration has sent to Congress. The White House would offset that by cutting other programs one at the Pentagon the rest on the Domestic Agenda. Higher taxes if necessary to combat drugs. House speaker Thomas Foley the drug War eventually will Lead to increasing pressure f9r a tax increase. Eve rep. Robert h. Michel the Republican Leader of Illinois said there might have Tobe another look at financing for the pro Gram after a year. Bush said Congress should offer Lead us Viiu. A ship and bipartisan support to the strata we can pay for this Light against drugs by ii asked the new president to prepare i without raising taxes or adding to the Bud the first place. And our citizens deserve get deficit Bush said. Cooperation not Competition a National sen. Joseph Biden d-dci., who Deli Effort not a partisan bidding War he said ered the democrats televised response in his response Biden proposed Sharp said the Bush plan would wage a limited spending increases in a half dozen pieces of War on the cheap. We Don t oppose the the drug War Bush outlined. He did t give president s plan said Biden who As chair Man of the Senate judiciary committee wields legislative Power Over major por gov. Michael Dukakis dealt with drugs i their 1988 presidential Campaign. While there Are differences Over the proper mix Between punishment and drug education and treatment the. Issue is not Lions of All we want to do is strengthen while the president asked support an commitment of a United angry America he did not spell out costs in terms of Sacri fice. That word turned up in a Public Opin Ion poll conducted As part of the buildup tothe drug report George Gallup or. Said the Survey found a majority of the Public read to accept sacrifices As in wartime including the n 01 a total Price tag nor did he suggest a Way to pay for it he has suggested higher liquor and cigarette taxes As a source of drug fight ing revenues. The drug debate this fall will be in con Gress. Next fall it will be nationwide As the candidates of 1990 make the Issue part of their campaigns for seats in a new con Gress. In Campaign settings the drug debate usually centers on who la be tougher and More effective in fighting them. That s the Way it was when Bush and Massachusetts the weapons Bot political sides support in his 22-minute nationally televised speech Bush said the new attack he envisions can succeed where others have failed because it will mobilize All the nation s re sources in a coordinated drive against drugs. The Basic weapons we need Are the ones we already have he said. What has been lacking is a strategy to effectively use the democrats agree on the , the major elements of the drug War were summed up in one sentence of the democratic party platform a summer ago. It was a very Long sentence 105 words to be exact but they Don t necessarily agree that the administration strategy is the Best Way to deploy those May gain the United front be seeks. But it will come after the political debate not before it c Audi up a
