CASUALTIES OF A LOST WAR

Even if it is true that the Americans on a CIA plane tried to stop an
attack that killed innocent people, how do you go about justifying a U.S.
policy that involves our country in a surveillance role in Peru's policing
of illegal drug shipments?

The situation as presently related is that Americans aboard the CIA plane
informed Peruvian authorities of a plane that might be carrying illegal drugs.

Officials have told the press that a Peruvian officer on the American plane
sought permission for a Peruvian jet to fire on the suspicious aircraft
after a failure to find a flight plan for the aircraft or to receive
replies to radio inquiries. The Americans on the CIA plane reportedly
objected, but to no avail. An American missionary and her adopted daughter
were killed when the jet opened fire.

The American policy, President Bush has explained, is nothing more than to
pass on information, but what seems the case is that the United States has
put itself in a position of participating in law-enforcement actions that
it cannot control, and with a partner that is not entirely trustworthy.

Our supposed self-interest is to stop the influx of drugs into the United
States, but as long as American demand remains what it is, it is hard to
imagine that surveillance flights in Peru will make much difference.

This terrible loss of life that has occurred should prompt the Bush
administration to review a policy that, of course, is not one it promulgated.

While it would be a mistake for the administration to drop the policy
unreflectively, the burden of proof should be on those who see benefits in
the status quo that outweigh the costs and risks.