
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 10, 1990                   TAG: 9004100564
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CRIMINAL BUCK, TOO, STOPS WITH ADMIRAL

"THE BUCK stops here with me," Adm. John Poindexter told Iran/Contra congressional investigators in 1987. The former national-security adviser referred then to political responsibility - a weight he would try to shed when he was brought to criminal trial.

On Saturday, a federal jury dropped the criminal buck in Poindexter's lap, convicting him on five felony counts of covering up the details of that scandal.

Thus far, the retired admiral is the seventh person - and the highest-ranking government employee - to be convicted of, or to plead guilty to, Iran/Contra charges. The offenses of which he was found guilty are also the most serious: among them, taking part in a far-ranging conspiracy to deceive Congress with lies and destruction of evidence.

Poindexter could face as much as 25 years behind bars. None of the other convicted six has been given an active prison sentence, which may lend him some comfort.

He got little comfort from his former boss during the trial. Ronald Reagan took the stand with a broad wink at Poindexter: a gesture not shown to the jury, which would see the ex-president's testimony on videotape. But in several hours of questioning and cross-examination, Reagan himself shunned responsibility for the scandal and cover-up. He was often vague, forgetful, uncomprehending and contradictory. His words and demeanor left in greater confusion than ever the questions of what he knew and when.

The jury, however, seemed to have no doubt that Poindexter had taken part in deliberate criminal acts - and that even if he got a wink, nudge or word from his president, this would not justify Poindexter's breaking the law.

Ultimately, guilt is a personal and individual thing. But Ronald Reagan set the stage for Iran/Contra, including the cover-up. He loved secrecy and derring-do. He was obsessed with helping the Contras. He left details to subordinates and was interested only in ends, not means. He seemed able to excuse almost anything done in the shining name of patriotism.

But patriotism, Samuel Johnson said more than 200 years ago, is the last refuge of a scoundrel. The acts committed by the Iran/Contra principals ran counter to the ideals of democracy. They exalted the presidency to imperial status, defied laws, sold off federal possessions, made foreign policy the secret preserve of private interests, hid from the accountability that democracy demands.

The special investigation has been long (three years) and costly ($20 million so far). It has been not only a criminal prosecution but also a defense of democratic principles, and well worth it.

by CNB