IT'S NOT THE CRIME, BUSH; IT'S THE COVER-UP

Even George and Barbara Bush must know by now that their son, George W.,
developed a taste for nose candy back in the 1970s.

No, there have been no official admissions of disco-era cocaine use. And
it's doubtful that the president-in-waiting has been any more frank with his
prominent parents than he has been with the citizenry he expects will elect
him as their chief executive.

But a confirmation really isn't necessary any longer.

George W. Bush does not need to admit to a tooting tendency. His bumbling
struggles to avoid answering direct questions about the cocaine question
have been about as convincing as candidate Clinton's 1992 "handling'' of the
Gennifer Flowers question on that infamous "60 Minutes'' appearance with "I
Ain't No Tammy Wynette'' Hillary.

For all of his attempts to shift attention elsewhere, GB2's candidacy has
taken on the "what a long strange trip it's been'' character that could
spell trouble for the Texas governor's ambitions. By the weekend, there was
speculation that perhaps GB2 didn't use cocaine after all; perhaps, the
theory goes, it was LSD.

It's not that many Americans actually care whether the current front-runner
for the Republican presidential nomination was snorting powder or dropping
acid back in the days when his dad was overseeing the CIA's anti-drug
operations in South America and Asia. (A Time-CNN poll released Friday found
that 84 percent of Americans surveyed said any cocaine use in his 20s should
not disqualify Bush from being president.)

As Richard Nixon would tell GB2, the point is almost never the crime -- it's
the cover-up.

And when it comes to identifying sins of omission, the American people are a
lot more savvy than they were in Watergate days.

If Bill Clinton is remembered for anything, it will be for having lowered
every known standard for pre-presidential behavior. The American people knew
Clinton was a draft dodger who "didn't inhale'' and who didn't let his
wedding ring prevent him from engaging in, er, extracurricular activities,
and they still elected him president.

But, just as Clinton lowered the bar as regards presidential behavior, he
fostered a mighty skepticism regarding the torture of the truth in which so
many politicians engage. After witnessing their president wag his finger at
them and declare, "I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky,''
Americans aren't likely to be impressed with attempts by the man who hopes
to succeed Clinton to stand on both sides of the white line.

If GB2 had announced that, "Yes, I did some toot back when disco ruled the
dance floor, but I'm keeping my nose clean these days,'' no one would have
thought twice about it. Sure, he probably committed a felony, and sure, as
governor of Texas he has hypocritically signed drug laws designed to punish
young people for engaging in precisely the same behaviors he once pursued.
But if you thought felonious hypocrisy was any kind of disqualification for
higher office, well, ask Bill Clinton about that one.

It's the fuzzing of the political margins, the refusal to answer direct
questions, the game-playing when directness is called for, that have damaged
GB2. His poll numbers have begun to display a shakiness that brings a smile
to even the stony faces of his Republican primary challengers. And, while he
will probably emerge as the GOP nominee, GB2's going to have a much harder
time delivering his trademark line: "I will swear to uphold the honor and
the dignity of the office to which I have been elected ...''

Definitions for the words "honor'' and "dignity'' vary, but for the most
part they all include an ability to admit past mistakes.

Playing language games with direct questions -- in a manner that screams
"guilty, guilty, guilty'' -- was Clinton's contribution to the political
discourse. If GB2 really thinks the American people want another dose of
presidential obfuscation, he must be snorting something.

John Nichols is the editorial page editor of The Capital Times.