On The Right - Alger Hiss case; U.S. apology to China; John McCain's presidential candidacy - Column

National Review, June 28, 1999 by William F. Buckley, Jr.

But this is not what is going on. We have not heard official Peking raise its authoritative hand and say, "Stop! Comrades, the United States government has expressed its regret and will pay damages to the aggrieved families." We have to deduce that the Peking government thinks it productive to antagonize the United States. Which requires us to answer the question: Why?

The protest might have been generated by some kind of nationalist scorn for defective Western intelligence. The CIA was using old maps, and should have been using up-to-date maps which marked with a big X the Chinese embassy. But then one thinks back on the line used by National Review 40 years ago: "The attempted assassination of Sukarno had all the appearances of a CIA operation. Everyone in the room was killed but Sukarno."

In fact, any attempt at such finely calibrated bombing as to guarantee immunity is surrealistic. Wars inevitably swoop down on people who are not engaged in them, and while true regret can be expressed at incidental casualties, it is unreal to expect either that there will be none such in the future, or that a heavy obligation in conscience rests with the offender.

The NATO alliance, led by Mr. Clinton, has a great deal to be achingly remorseful about, but none of it has to do with the object of concern of rioting young Chinese.

John McCain,

Alternative Candidate?

NEW YORK, MAY 7

John McCain was introduced to the 40 men and women at dinner by the host's recalling that as a prisoner of war in Hanoi, McCain was singularly conspicuous, given that his father was commander in chief of the Pacific fleet. It was on one of his father's operations that McCain was shot down, destined for five years of terrible maltreatment, mostly in solitary confinement. By reason of tight diplomatic maneuvering the opportunity suddenly presented itself: He would be freed! John McCain sent up word declining favorable attention. He would remain in his solitary cell until all his fellow prisoners, more than one year later, were let go. He is now, of course, Sen. John McCain from Arizona, and he is running for president.

As expected, he began with talk of Kosovo. His position is that our engagement there was thoughtlessly contracted but that we must now press on to victory. If we do not, we will be severely tested in the years to come by aggressor nations that will have lost any respect for the alleged superpower.

But since manifestly we have lost the war, one guest asked, shouldn't we devote our efforts to recovering our prestige after assimilating that loss? No, the presidential candidate said. Sixty or seventy thousand troops could reverse the situation in Kosovo. "It is wrong to think of Milosevic as invincible." Why is Congress so ambiguous on the military operation? Because there are congressmen who simply don't trust the leadership. And there are even some congressmen who loathe Clinton so much they would risk the public interest to damage his prospects.

Speaking of prospects, what are McCain's? Well, Iowa is tough-the caucus system. And he intends to say unpopular things in Iowa, for instance that the government subsidy of ethanol is an extravagant disgrace. What about New Hampshire? Well, to quote his Arizona friend, the late Morris Udall, one New Hampshire resident asked by a reporter whether he would vote for Udall answered, "I don't know. I've only met him twice."