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Technology Stocks : LORAL -- Political Discussion -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill who wrote (381)	6/5/1998 11:56:00 AM
From: Zoltan!	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 880

June 5, 1998 ON MY MIND / By A.M. ROSENTHAL He Didn't Do It Alone Bill Clinton did not do it all by himself. Beneath the scandals about the Clinton Administration's betrayal of democracy in China, its abandonment of human rights as an international priority, its strengthening of Chinese missile forces with American money and engineering, its acceptance of campaign funds from Beijing and its carefully blind eye toward the Chinese sales of nuclear technology that suddenly bring the threat of war in Asia -- beneath all that is the fact that he got all the help he needed, from America's own political, economic and intellectual leadership. Sometimes it arrived with instructions on what to do or not do. But Mr. Clinton, famous fast learner, soon did not need instruction kits. The American public was generally uncaring, passive or supportive, in the inane belief that his betrayals and appeasement policies were creating huge profits for the U.S. Beijing was amused, and piled up a $50 billion trade surplus over the U.S. The American public cannot absolve itself of appeasement responsibility and just enjoy the shame of Bill Clinton, assuming he feels any. Americans have to make sure that investigations and hearings continue even if they lead to jail for those who took Chinese money and impeachment for those who permitted it. And Americans have the responsibility to remember that even more hurtful to their country than dirty money are dirty policies, and that their own society enabled Mr. Clinton to create and commit them. Otherwise it will all happen again in this and the next Presidency. We will have plenty of chances to show we remember, starting now. Administration decisions to help Chinese technology carry missiles to target and to ignore Chinese dispatch of nuclear technology to Pakistan led India to prove its own nuclear capabilities by testing them. Indians dropped huge hints to let Washington know in advance, but the poor fellows failed. The stunning U.S. ineptitude showed that the surveillance on which the no-testing treaty depends sometimes would not work. It showed too that determined nations could put together all the makings of nuclear bombs, without any testing. Some knowledgeable supporters of the treaty say it has lost credibility as an anti-nuclear safeguard. All right, then: Should we tickle ourselves into believing the treaty is our protection or at last go for antiballistic missile defense? All opposed to that defense please raise hands; now tell us what you offer that could substitute for both ABM and the anti-testing mirage. Presidential campaign time is not coming -- it's here. Will we get candidates who will face the truth about appeasement of China? Not likely, unless the U.S. public fights hard -- because for both parties it has been an embarrassingly bipartisan path. Al Gore, I think, can win or lose the Presidency depending on whether he repudiates or sticks to the Clintonian China policies. Mr. Gore, do you think, as Samuel Berger, the national political-security adviser, lectures us with straight face, that selling China missile technology is real good for America? What job do you plan for him? Will you support the ugly campaign of the Administration and the U.S.-China lobbies to castrate in the Senate the House bill that puts at least some American influence into fighting persecution of Christians in China and some Muslim countries? Or will you risk Mr. Clinton's anger by supporting an effective bill -- before the Senate vote? And will we let Republican candidates get away with not repudiating the Reagan and Bush licensing of missile help for China? Money: taking political contributions from the Communist apparatus is moral treachery, at least. Yes -- and U.S. businesses and economic lobbies ceaselessly manipulate and despoil our political life by using scores of millions of dollars to buy the services of U.S. politicians for the China lobbies. Are we mad? That is a possible answer. If not, Clinton appeasement has become so obviously against U.S. interests and democratic morality that maybe Americans will do our duty: expose and fight that policy, as long as we have breath or print. nytimes.com