EDITORIAL
Did he know? Gates
can’t seem to recall
Robert Gates is described by friends and associates
as a meticulous man. The consummate detail oriented
analyst, forever correcting the trivial inconsistencies
that plague all government bureaucracies.
Why then, at the more mention of the word ' Iran
Contra.” does the nominee for the top post in the CIA
go into a stammering ah-um routine that would make
former President Ronald Reagan proud?
Maybe it's because all of his deputies keep contra
dicting his story. He says he knew nothing about the
Iran-Contra affair until Oct. 1. 1986 — almost two
months before thcn-Attorney General Edwin Mecse
broke the scandal in a White House press conference.
Gatus colleagues, testifying in front of the Senate Intel
ligence Committee, said he was informed about the
arms-for-hostages deal during the summer and early
fall of 1986.
But Gates doesn’t remember. Or so he says.
Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee are
understandably skeptical. They have thus far refrained
from calling Gates an out-and-out liar, but such blatant
statements can’t be too far around the corner. The sad
truth is that the confirmation hearings have taken on
the tone of a schoolyard argument.
We told you about
the scandal," Gates'
colleagues chiine.
“Did not!"
“Did too!" And so
on.
The people contra
dicting Gates ure not
jealous subordinates
looking for network air
time. One, Charles Al
len, is a senior analyst
with the CIA, and the
other, Richard Kerr, is
the agency's acting di
rector. Both have im
pressive backgrounds.
Both are pretty much
IIn) doing so,
(Oates) has also
slammed Ms
former boss, then
CIA director
William Casey, who
makes a good
scapegoat because
he was aloof,
imbureaucratlc,'
and Is now
conveniently dead.
iciung me same story.
Gates has been in this position once before. Reagan
nominated him for the post in 1987, but furor over the
Iran-Contra affair made him withdraw from the race. In
the four years since then, more details about the scan
dal have come forth, and Gates has changed his stance
ever so slightly.
While so far he has come up with nothing to dis
pute Allen's and Kerr's claims, Gates has accepted
some of the blame for the scandal, saying he should
have taken warnings about the affair “more seriously."
But in doing so. he has also slammed his former boss.
then-CIA director William Casey, who makes u good
scapegoat because he was aloof, "unbureaucratic,” and
is now conveniently dead.
Gates' memory lapses are damning, but probably
won’t cost him the nomination. Committee member
Alan Cranston, D-Calif., in support of Gates, said "You
just can't be expected to remember everything you
heard or did or said five years ago." That statement
shouldn't come as a shock once you remember Crans
ton’s own selective memory loss during the Keating 5
hearings.
What makes the whole confirmation process ironic
is that while Allen and Kerr have raised doubts about
Gates through their testimony, both have endorsed
him. Kerr said "I don’t think anyone else is as qualified
to take the job.’’
Makes one wonder what qualifications are needed
to be CIA director. Maybe we should check out George
Bush's resume a little more.
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XXL
COMMENTARY
Measure 5 supporters should rethink vote
THE FINE
PRINT
BY CATHIE DANIELS
Hopefully Measure 5 sup
porters will reconsider next
time the ballot comes around
Hurburu Roberts finished her
' Conversation with Oregon"
Sunday in bugenc The gover
nor traveled to six Oregon
towns to meet with taxpayers
and gather ideas on him to find
replacement revenue for mon
ies cist with last year's approv
al ol Measure 5
Thu measure set a cap on
state property taxes, which
ended up decreasing money
available lor state-funded oper
ations
One result stemming from
the state's $750 million general
fund loss was an almost one
third tuition hike tor the state's
eight higher education schools,
a two-year phase out of 500 fac
ulty and stall positions, the
elimination or consolidation of
OH degree programs and the
trimming of 2,000 students
It's understandable that vot
ers would just suy no to taxes
by approving Measure 5. Tired
of seeing money disappearing
into thin stote-und-natlonnl-tax
system air, they figured if gov
ernment hasn't gotten enough
by now. loo bad They'll get no
more
However, there is one thing
those voters should consider.
Because the forest products in
dustry is Oregon's largest seg
ment of private employment.
it's .1 good twt that nt least some
til tht! stale's landowners work
m this oreu
And since Measure 5's pas
sage would set <t limit on prop
erty taxes, there's little doubt
tit" votitrs who approved the
m isiiri- were primarily l.md
owners
In slc.rt it's mv guess that a
sizable portion ol those voting
yes on Measure 5 worked in
timber-related jobs Unfortu
nate, since the price of the re
training many of these workers
will inevitably need is now fur
ther out of reach than ever.
It s no set ret Oregon's timlier
industry is in trouble Innova
tions allowing one person to do
the work ol several, the setting
aside of timlier lands for con
servation and the exportation
of unprocessed logs are causing
the number ol timber-related
jobs to shrink
Add the fact that Oregon's
population grew 5.7 percent bo
twoen 19H0 and 1HHU, thus in
creasing the competition for
jobs, and it becomes obvious
this already-growing pool of
dislocated workers needs help.
Oregon's higher education
system offers a path out of this
mess Tiie skills offered at those
institutions will become in
creasingly necessary for these
workers to gain u foothold in
what looks to be a deteriorating
situation.
True, state college and uni
versity tuition have been nearly
impossible for average Oregoni
ans to afford, blocking an offen
sive numbor of tht; general pub
lic's accessibility to higher edu
ration. But passing legislation
that c uts school funding makes
the increasingly important
learning option oven more re
mote.
And granted, 'he transition
from timber to other jobs will
he difficult for many of these
workers tor a variety of reasons
Workers who have- claimed the
timber industry as their own for
generations don’t want to be
the last of their species; many
have worked their entire! lives
m the woods don’t know any
thing else, and perhaps even
more just plain and simple
cion't see the; need to change —
period
But the fac ts show change in
the timber labor market is in
deed happening and will prob
ably continue. Re-education
may in- the last thing these
workers may want to consider,
but the list of alternatives is
growing smaller by the minute.
This group represents a
tappable resource of labor — u
fac t not only timber workers
but all taxpayers need to re
member Keeping education at
a quasi-affordablo level and
quality high means marketable
skills for these transitional
workers and a wealth of re
skilled laborers for Oregon.
Roberts will decide by March
19>)2 whether she will set a re
formed tax package before the
state’s voters. Should she do so,
1 urge taxpayers to vote for leg
islation supporting school
funding. In the end, it's our
most viable hope during these
changing times.
Pres/pesr, aREn r
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