Editorial
Iran-Contra report
shows incompetence
In the past year the Reagan administration increasingly
has become ineffective and incapable in the political arena.
The Iran-Contra affair destroyed the credibility of the
administration. The Tower Commission report and subse
quent congressional hearings portrayed a president asleep at
the wheel and a staff out of control. Since then, the Reagan
administration has deteriorated to a state just short of
political disaster. Consider the following:
• In the wake of the death of Central Intelligence Agen
cy Director William Casey. Washington Post journalist Bob
Woodward disclosed that C^asey knew about the diversion of
profits from Iranian arms sales to the Contras, a U.S.-backed
force fighting the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Con
sidering the close relationship betwoen Casey and Reagan, if
('.asey knew about the diverted funds then the president pro
bably did too.
• (Casey’s death is just one of many administrative per
sonnel changes that have destabilized the adminsitration.
For example. Chief of Staff Donald Regan was forced to
resign in tho wake of the Iran-Contra affair. Secretary of
Defense Caspar Wienberger also recently resigned, possibly
because of differences in defense policy with Reagan, who is
trying to secure a nuclear missile treaty with the Soviet
Union in order to end his tenure with an accomplishment.
Who will be the next to resign? U.S. Attorney General
Kdwin Moose has bean under investigation for his involve
ment in the Wodtech scandal and the Iran-Contra affair. It
does not lend credibility to the administration to have the
highest ranking justice official in the nation under investiga
tion for criminal activities.
• 1 h«n came the political embarrassment to Reagan
resulting from the unsuccessful nomination of two judges to
the Supreme Court: Robert Bark and Douglas Ginsburg. Fur
thermore. the fact that Reagan publically supported
Ginsburg even after the disclosure that the judge had smok
ed marijuana severely damaged the integrity of Reagan's war
on drugs.
•The stock market crashed in part because of an out-of
control budget deficit and a huge trade deficit. Until recent
ly. the administration has been incapable of dealing with
either the deficit or with congressional democrats attemp
ting to develop a reasonable budget.
•The Reagan administration also has denied its legal
obligation under the War Powers Act to report to Con
gress about the U S. military presence in the Persian Gulf.
This debate has raised questions about the coherence of U.S.
foreign policy.
In the wake of these political disasters, what does the
future hold for the Reagan administration?
If Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs
Elliot Abrams has his way. the Central American peace plan
will be prevented from achieving its objectives.
The Iran-contra report may reveal the incompetence of
the administration; however, it probably will not deter the
administration from blundering in the near future.
But the report may help assure President Reagan of his
proper place in the history books as an ineffective and in
capable president whose administration repeatably has been
linked to political corruption and economic negligence.
Ml FOREIGN POLICY V
UAS ALWAYS SMOWNj. \
THE UTMOST RESPECT
FOR THE LAW! /
i
Letters
Reasons
With all the uproar over the
threat of President Olum's early
retirement, may 1 suggest some
reasons behind the rumors and
news coverage
1) It seems evident that
Chancellor Davis is eager for
central control over higher
education. Because Olum is the
most outspoken of the eight
presidents in the state for school
autonomy and second in tenure
only to Portland State Univer
sity's Natale Sicuro. his replace
ment would leave the Board un
challenged. Davis's long-term
interest may be to shift more
power from Kugene and Cor
vallis to Portland.
2) Gov. Neil Goldschmidt
may be indirectly disciplining
Olum for opposing him in the
recent Oregon Public Kmployee
Union's strike in particular and
for him regularly criticizing the
Legislature for not ap
propriating more money for
higher education and faculty
salaries in general. In the Nov. 3
Oregonian. Goldschmidt said.
“You can't have it both ways."
When the legislature ap
propriated salary increases in a
lump sum. the board let
presidents use the money to
-i
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keep faculty members who were
tempted to leave or to attract
new ones. Some passed-over
faculty members complained of
favoritism, and hence the
legislature's uniform salary in
crease this session.
3) The Lane County Hoard of
Commissioners concerns over
"long-term destabilization" of
the University if Olum retires
early In 1989. A survey by a
New jersey marketing firm said
Olum was not only a "good
salesman" but a key player in
any capital campaign.
4) Chancellor Davis's deci
sion jeopardizes his own efforts
in implementing the semester
and unified course r e -
quirements in 1990 because
Olum retires in 1989. The na
tional search for a new provost
discourages applicants for two
reasons: first, a lame-duck
president disrupts an acting
provost: second, one can not ex
pect a provost to come for only
one year. This is precisely the
lack of planning the recent ac
creditation review report cited,
If the University Assembly
meeting of faculty, ad
ministrators and students can
unanimously agree on a resolu
tion to extend Olum's retire
ment date by a 290-0 margin,
obviously Olum's leadership
works.
Chariet Cartar
Student
False accusations
Recently I was accused by the
Women's Resource and Referral
Service, via the Interfraternity
Council, of creating a poster
calling for an end to “dyke
facism" at the University.
It seems that my role in the
creation of another poster found
offensive coupled with my
membership in the band. The
Guardian's of American Morali
ty, has given it cause to accuse
me of something I knew nothing
about.
Neither I. nor anybody in
volved in the creation of the
Guardian’s poster to which it
objected, had anything to do
with this most recent poster
But by virtue of circumstance I
have been falsely accused.
The Women's Resource and
Referral Service has targeted
The Guardians of American
Morality as a band worthy of its
attention. They have protested
at our performances and in
itiated a boycott of Taylor's
Tavern for hiring us to play.
That did not work, so now they
make false accusations aganist
me personally. I find it difficult
to believe that an organization
so closely tied to human rights
can be so casual about their
violation
Mark O. Howerton
Eugene
Similarities
After attending Friday Nov.
13’s Board of Higher Educaiton
meeting, I saw the film.
"Matewan."
A person cannot help but
notice the striking resemblance
between the company thugs and
the board members who are
working for the company
owners, the Chancellor’s office
administrators.
The union bears a striking
resemblance to the Olumni.
The kid whose throat the
thugs slashed reminds one of
Paul Olum.
Ariel Friesner
Eugene
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