"But Mr. Bush may need to square his own drug use as a young man with
the tough law enforcement policies he espouses as Governor for dealing
with youthful drug offenders."

MR. BUSH'S DRUG DODGES

Gov. George W. Bush of Texas has run into a distracting and potentially
dangerous patch in his Presidential campaign. The issue is whether he
ever used cocaine or other illegal substances during his youth. Mr.
Bush has been dancing around the question for several days, creating
the impression that he probably did experiment with cocaine and that
he believes evasion rather than an honest answer is the best response.

The Clinton years have left Americans understandably ambivalent about
prying into the private lives of politicians. The country is weary of
Mr. Clinton's inability to control his behavior, and sorry for the
lost time it cost the President and the nation. But the Clinton
experience has also made clear that questions of character and
personal conduct can severely distort a Presidency.

That is the environment that greets Mr. Bush and the new crop of
Presidential candidates. While there is no clear-cut rule about how
much personal information they need to provide, more information is
almost invariably better than less. That is because efforts to limit
information usually just raise more questions, not only among
reporters but among voters. Evasion also diminishes those who practice
it. Sensitized by Mr. Clinton's 1992 campaign circumlocutions on
personal matters, Americans now fear such dodging may be a signal of
deeper flaws.

Given this history and climate, Mr. Bush would be wise to quit
tiptoeing around the issue of drug use, and to stop complaining that
he is being unfairly questioned by the press. His statements have
become progressively more untenable. At first he refused to respond or
gave cryptic answers. Wednesday evening he told The Dallas Morning
News that he could satisfy the Federal security clearance requirement
of not having used illegal drugs for the last seven years. Yesterday
he said he could pass a White House background check under rules going
back to 1989, when his father became President. His spokesman later
explained that this meant he had not used illegal drugs since 1974.

If Mr. Bush never used illegal drugs, he should say so. If he did, he
should 'fess up. For one thing, he might find that voters would
forgive a youthful indiscretion. Many members of his generation
experimented with illegal drugs when they were young. That ought not
to disqualify people from holding high office, provided they gave up
the habit. But Mr. Bush may need to square his own drug use as a young
man with the tough law enforcement policies he espouses as Governor
for dealing with youthful drug offenders.

Mr. Bush cannot have it both ways on his personal life. He voluntarily
proclaimed his marital fidelity, which is surely the most private of
subjects. That only adds to the impression that he is hiding something
about other aspects of his life. The best course for him is to be
honest, and to let the country take his measure. In his campaign, the
Governor has emphasized the importance of assuming responsibility for
one's own actions. He should be thinking now about how to set a good
example.