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

DATE: TUESDAY, March 31, 1992                   TAG: 9203310409
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CLINTON

Clinton's revelation that he smoked pot "a time or two" in England, while attending Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, ought not to be a big deal. Even rival Jerry Brown, who has referred to Clinton's "scandal a week" candidacy, admonishes the news media to "lay off . . . . What you did 20 years ago is not relevant."

Actions of 20 years ago should be viewed in the light of that day: a time when marijuana was so "in" that conservative-right squire William Buckley bragged how he'd sailed offshore to smoke pot on international waters; when Cheech and Chong made movies featuring themselves as lovable, madcap potheads; when experimentation was commonplace among Baby Boomers maturing into adulthood.

To be sure, there's no 20-year statute of limitations for candidates. (Brown's comment notwithstanding, sexual abuse of children, say, or embezzlement would be relevant.) But the latest Clinton flap would be even less worthy of comment, were it not for the way he's handled the question.

Reporters had asked Clinton numerous times if he'd ever used drugs. He was the artful dodger, saying he'd never broken state or federal laws. Only when asked if he had ever violated international drug laws did Clinton admit he'd smoked pot while in England from 1968 to 1970. (He "didn't like it . . . didn't inhale . . . didn't try it again.") He said he hadn't owned up earlier because "no one had ever asked me the direct question before." Slick. But still not worth a big fuss.

It's de rigueur for reporters to ask questions about drug use by aspirants to high office - and sometimes the answer makes a difference. In 1987, Douglas Ginsburg had to withdraw as a Supreme Court nominee after disclosing he had smoked marijuana.

But since then there have been many a confession of youthful pot-smoking. By members of Congress. By 1988 presidential hopefuls Albert Gore and Bruce Babbitt. Last year, by President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, Clarence Thomas. "Inconsequential," said Bush. He's right.