European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 06, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes columns Anthony Lewis . Policy benefits murderous Khmer Rouge suppose a nazi army had stayed intact at the end of world War ii. And held out in a Remote area with Hitler. Goering and Himmler. Then imagine an american government insisting that the nazis must be included in arrangements fora German political settlement. No. That is beyond imagination but the United states government is doing something like that in Cambodia today. Its policies political and military Bene fit the murderous Khmer Rouge. When the Khmer Rouge ruled cambo Dia from 1975 to 1978, they killed at least a million people. It is the one Epi Sode since the nazi holocaust that Quali fies for the term genocide. The Khmer Rouge leadership survives intact with an army of 40,000, in Camps along the thai cambodian Border. Pol pot. The murderer in chief is still there directing the Khmer Rouge in its War on the vietnamese backed government of Cambodia. A recent report by the human rights group Asia watch showed that the Khmer Rouge Are still using familiar methods. Refugees Are forced to carry military equipment into Cambodia through areas planted with land mines. Those who refuse Are denied  watch interviewed children aged 11,13 and 14 who had been made to act As military porters. The Khmer Rouge Are supplied by China which uses them to carry on its millennial struggle with Vietnam. Thai land lets that Aid go through and makes possible the Khmer Rouge Camps on the Border and the military attacks launched from them. The United states has helped the Khmer Rouge diplomatically by keeping them in Cambodia s seat at the United nations. It has put no pressure on thai land a Good Friend to Cut the arms flow. The United states insists that any political settlement in Cambodia must in clude a transitional role for three parties in addition to the present government George will 3?i vib is =  5 by a a a a  a a a % \stgs_-5 i 1 the Stu assure Tut c#1w� Khmer Rouse two tiny non communist opposition groups and the Khmer Rouge. In effect that Means recognition of the Khmer Rouge. The Way american policy works in the Khmer Rouge interest was explored in Superb television documentary an Abc news special with Peter Jennings As an Chor from the killing  it said that arms supplied by the United states to the non communist opposition have made their Way to the Khmer Rouge. The state department said the United states sent Only non lethal Materiel and denied that it helped the Khmer Rouge. But the non lethal supplies i indeed they do not secretly include weapons do include guerrilla boats an combat gear. And the Khmer Rouge forces Are so much stronger that they dominate the so called opposition coalition. There was some revealing reaction to the Jennings program. A review in the Wall Street journal attacked it in my Carthy Ite terms As pro vietnamese. President Bush s press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater endorsed the journal attack. That reaction showed one reason for an american policy that on its face seems inexplicable. That reason is sheer hostility to Vietnam a resentment that has continued to Burn since the end of the Vietnam War. In that hostility . Officials seem almost to forget the Khmer Rouge re Cord. When the latest conference at tempting to arrange a cambodian settlement broke up the United states blamed Vietnam for insisting on using the word genocide in reference to re cent history. Some americans who have reason to remember the War bitterly take a More rational View. Sen. John Mccain r ariz., who was a prisoner of War in Hanoi for six years urges reconciliation. William Colby the former director of Central intelligence who has published a Book defending what the United states did during the War appeared on the Jennings program to criticize our Cambodia policy now. The other major explanation for the policy is China. From the president Down the Bush administration seems determined to do nothing that might offend China. That evidently includes nothing effective against the Khmer Rouge. The Bush administration has asked China to Cut Down its military support of the Khmer Rouge. But last week it was reported that chinese weapons ship ments have in fact increased in Quantity and Quality including anti aircraft gun Sand rocket launchers. The administration and those in con Gress who share responsibility for the policy particularly and surprisingly rep. Stephen Solarz . Seem to believe that they can somehow detach themselves from the consequences. But if the mass murderers take Power again in phenom penh Washington s role will not be forgotten. C new York times democrats have jewel in Sharp edged Kerrey the Rush of Washington life is like a Mountain Stream in which rocks Are tumbled and Over time become smooth polished and pretty but without edges. Sen. Bob Kerrey the freshman Democrat from Nebraska still has Edge. Kerrey s language has Teeth. It bites As when regarding president Bush s education proposals he said at their worst. They offer Promise unsupportable by honest  Kerrey Calls himself a writer so assume he uses words fastidiously words like insupportable and  unsupported would have been less harsh honest As used is stinging. In George Bush s washing ton which is most congenial to people who went to Charm school rather than real school Kerrey May have to heed the Truman advice he quotes Don t have a Friend i Washington. Buy a  when a senior Bush adviser denounced now now ism living for the moment off tomorrow s seed Corn actually the Bush policy Kerrey said the real problem is  Kerrey will learn How Little the presi Dent likes canine comparisons politicians said Kerrey like dogs will bark at any moving target the president is the Best example. He wants to be the education president and the environment president and the housing president and the kind and gentle presi Dent. He wants to go to the Moon and maybe even to Mars. He wants to do something about investment and computer technology and the space station and the super conducting supercollider. He wants to do something about Poland and Hungary and  and drugs. But drugs Are not America s no. 1 problem. Our no. 1 problem is that politicians have been drugged into believing that americans Don t love their country enough their children enough or life enough to pay the  actually politicians most egregiously the president Are the pushers of that narcotic which produces tax phobia. Kerrey says he made a lot of Money in the restau rant business partly because his parents generation built the interstate Highway system. They did t sit around the dinner table and wonder about what their rate of return was going to be on every single invest ment. They did t sit around and say their taxes were too High. They tried to provide me with greater opportunities and by god i be got an obligation to Dothe same with my  Kerrey wishes we could repeal the year 2000," which is becoming a garbage can into which we dump problems. He etches his position with the acid sarcasm president Bush has become fascinated lately with the potential for harmonic convergence in the year 2000. He wants to eliminate adult illiteracy re Duce dropout rates to 10 percent and Advance 17-year Olds to the top of the Industrial world s math and Sci ence class by the dawning of that magical  but right now another baby is born into poverty every 40 seconds. Every 40 seconds. For example now. And then again every 40  and a minority child under the age of 1 has less Chance of being immunized in America today than does a baby in  we investing getting babies born then next take notice of them five years later when Many of them from dysfunctional families Are severely damaged. We Are not spending enough on the poor who most of us do not know. Instead we Are spending on the More Well off who Are Apt to be our  the deficit reflects this disparity. It produces unnecessarily High interest rates which particularly punish in the end the working poor. And note the dry under statement it is the working poor who Are least Likely to be Able through either individual or direct Purchase of Treasury Bonds or indirectly through a pension fund to feel the Benefit from the debt financed growth in our Gross National  recently Kerrey has had his Basic american entitlement 1 5 minutes of Fame. That resulted from the reaction of some democrats and journalists to the ennui enveloping the democratic party. Seized by an inexplicable longing for Iowa and saddened by so Little stirring in presidential politics on the part of the party s pinups Cuomo Bradley nun addicts of presidential politics have turned their gaze toward Kerrey As an alternative to terminal boredom. Kerrey 46, is indeed something of an exotic medal of Honor Winner who lost a leg below the knee in Vietnam but has run marathons who has Date actress Debra Winger while living in Nebraska s Gover nor s mansion from which the mansion not Winger he walked away after one term while enjoying stratospheric 70 percent approval. Democrats could do worse. Usually do. Probably will. But they should note that Bush s composure sometimes cracks under serious criticism so a demo crat with Kerrey s bite would have an interesting Edge. C Washington Post writers group the opinion expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page of those of the author and Are in no Way to be considered As representing the of the Star and Stripe or the United state government