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Time is not right for an apology by Bush

Texas Gov. George W. Bush got into a rather heated exchange with the assembled tabloid-mentality political press corps the other day when he refused to answer a question about whether he used drugs in his youth.

"Somebody floats a rumor and that causes you to ask a question," Bush chided reporters. "And that's the game in American politics, and I refuse to play it."

Bush's steadfast refusal to answer a question that has dogged him carries with it the obvious implication that he did at some point use illegal drugs. Logically, it stands to reason that if he did not ever use illegal drugs, then he would have little reason not to simply say, "No."

The political dilemma of admitting to youthful recklessness is multifaceted. If he said, "Yes,I did," at least some conservative voters would abandon his candidacy. And the press, as Bush correctly asserts, would not be satisfied. They'd want to know dates, places, amounts &emdash; all the sordid details.

So what are we to make of this faux controversy?

A bit of perspective is in order. Coincidentally, the same day "W." got in a tiff with the press, the Department of Health and Human Services released its annual drug survey. One result: an estimated 78 million Americans have used illegal drugs a some point in their lives. That's a huge portion of the population &emdash; nearly one-third.

During the late 1960s and through much of the 1970s, illegal drug use sadly became a fairly common occurrence among college students. Young "W" may or may not have been immune from these trends, but it is likely that he at least knew or associated with people who used drugs. It also is likely, given the trends of the time, that he may have experimented with drug use.

Even if he used drugs "recreationally" as a young man, if upon joining the real world of work and family he abandoned such habits, then is the fact of drug use relevant to his candidacy today?

No. Unlike Bill Clinton, who unbelievably claimed to have tried marijuana without inhaling, Bush does not ask Americans to believe the unbelievable. Nor is "W" akin to Judge Douglas Ginsburg, whose nomination to the Supreme Court by President Reagan was sunk when it was learned that he habitually smoked marijuana with his law school students.

There are many among us who wrongly dabbled in drug use, but either realized quickly the stupidity of drug use or recognized its unacceptability upon entry to the workforce. It is fatuous and intellectually dishonest to excusify that "everyone did it," because everyone did not do it. Yet short-lived drug use was common enough among people of certain ages that it would be foolish to disqualify from office everyone who admits to once having smoked marijuana or, worse yet, snorted cocaine.

So why doesn't George W Bush simply say something like this: "As a young man, I engaged in what we then thought of as 'recreational' drug use. I smoked marijuana, even snorted cocaine, and I surely drank to excess. But I did, and it was wrong. I haven't used drugs since I was in college, and I quit drinking when I turned 40. I did what I did by my own choice, and it is no one's fault but my own. All of those things were stupid and dangerous, and I wish I could turn the clock back and not do them."

Many people would accept such an honest apology and acceptance of responsibility.

So why not admit to any youthful indiscretions and get the speculation over with? In two words, Bill Clinton. Seven years of Bill Clinton's sleaze have created a true national need for a clean president. The issues of George W. Bush's behavior are not at all recent. They are of nearly a generation ago.

If he gives in to the national press corps' tabloid tastes, then the substantive questions of policy that a prospective president should answer will be crowded out of the election.

By refusing to delve into his youthful recklessness, Bush is in fact insisting that a more presidential standard apply to a presidential election. After Bill Clinton, the nation needs a concerted effort to restore dignity to the office despoiled by the Clinton crowd. The press should move on to more important issues.

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