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Louder than words
George W. Bush, who refuses to answer questions about his own drug use, slashed drug rehabilitation programs for inmates while ushering in tougher sentencing laws.
By Robert Bryce
[08/24/99]

Class will tell
The Bush cocaine controversy should encourage an overdue debate on why drug abuse among the rich is a "disease" while among the poor it is a "crime."
By Joe Conason
[08/24/99]

Relief in the ruins
As the relief effort in Turkey mounts, international humanitarian organizations are seeking contributions for earthquake victims.
By Fiona Morgan
[08/23/99]

Rape as a disciplinary tactic
Prison guards often ignore inmate rape, and even encourage it to punish prisoners who step out of line.
By Christian Parenti
[08/23/99]

Austin, we have a problem
What does his clumsy, evasive handling of rumors of cocaine use do to George W. Bush's much-heralded "electability"?
By Jake Tapper
[08/20/99]

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Some Republican and conservative operatives believe the heat may have lasting effects. "Initially he had a plausible and workable strategy," says Roger Stone, a veteran of eight Republican presidential campaigns. "There is a growing feeling that the media are out of control, that political leaders and celebrities have a right to privacy."

But Bush stumbled, Stone believes, when he began "answering by degrees. That raises additional questions." What about lasting damage? "Way too early to tell," says Stone, but the possibility definitely exists. "The danger is that he is largely an undefined commodity. People are still forming impressions. At this time a discussion of cocaine is not a positive."

Those of us of a libertarian bent, however, delight in Bush's squirming, and see the opportunity to ask a serious policy-related question: Does Gov. Bush, a fierce and unforgiving anti-drug warrior in his home state of Texas, believe he should have been jailed if he used cocaine 25 years ago (as his coded, time-framed non-denials seem to imply)? Unfortunately, that question will probably never be answered, but libertarians may begin to ask it, loudly.

Bush might be expected to have the most trouble with conservative women and religious activists. They have spent the last few years flogging the White House nookie monster for his evasions and lapses, and can't help but notice that their man has a Clintonian odor about him of late. But their desire to back a winner might overcome their worries about Bush's past.

"All politicians aspire to a noble hypocrisy," observes Grace Paine Terzian, the flame-haired minister of propaganda and vice president at the conservative Independent Women's Forum. "From my perspective, youthful cocaine use is not as troubling as cheating on your wife." Grace blames the intrusive media for Bush's problems, though she admits feeling little such sympathy for Clinton during his long, slow evisceration. "That's my prejudice at work," she admits, adding she will give Bush a pass for the most politically noble of reasons: "We want our guy to win."

This line of reasoning was echoed by many. Bush would have to approach the frontiers of butt-naked barbarism to spook Terzian and her allies. But others are more concerned. Michael Jones, chief of the Voice of the Elephant Political Awareness Committee of Ft. Worth, Texas, likes Bush so far, but says his reaction to the cocaine question worried him. "His answers are pure Clintonspeak," says Jones. "They raise the character question. If he came forward and said, 'I was just a spoiled rich brat but I got over these problems,' that would be one thing. But he doesn't, so this could hurt him."

But where are voters like Jones going to go? It could be that, as in November 1998, when Democrats unexpectedly gained seats in Congress, conservative voters won't go to the polls. "Last time around, no candidate lit up conservatives," Jones explains, "so we stayed home. Most of us already think Bush is too liberal. If he becomes tarnished by character questions, we'll stay home again, or go to a third party." The result, he says, will be to "give the Democrats the trifecta -- the presidency and both houses of Congress." Such is the price of principle among deep-woods conservatives.

No one knows how many cliff-jumpers there are in the Republican ranks. But Bush faces a problem with religious conservatives that is deeper than cocaine allegations. That problem is sincerity -- or the lack thereof. The past few weeks have caused some conservatives to question Bush's character, and they are not as forgiving of character flaws as Clinton's Democratic friends.

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