A missile debate

The politics behind an offer from Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen to presumed Republican presidential nominee George Bush could be interpreted a number of ways. But there is nothing ambiguous about the potential result of the offer, which, if it is taken seriously, could lift the level of debate in the campaign and give voters an unusual chance to watch candidates demonstrate their ability to do something besides appeal to the lowest common denominator.

Secretary Cohen, responding Sunday to comments by Gov. Bush about the nation’s nuclear arsenal, invited him and his national-security team to a briefing on the issue at the Pentagon. The invitation may be seen as a slight against the governor and his team, which includes former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney and Gen. Colin Powell. Or it might be seen as conferring status on a candidate whose own party has yet to officially choose him as its candidate.

Secretary Cohen, the only Republican in the Clinton White House, says it is neither. It is rather, he said, an attempt to ensure both parties have access to important information on defense issues. Appearing on Meet the Press, Secretary Cohen said he was appointed in this position to take the politics out of national security debates. Pundits will pick over it for political possibilities anyway; the public would do better to recognize the value of such an offer without worrying about campaign spin.

Gov. Bush last week suggested that reducing the nation’s nuclear arsenal, perhaps deeper than what the Clinton administration has proposed, was possible. He also proposed developing an antiballistic missile defense significantly larger than the administration’s. Secretary Cohen argued that a greatly strengthened defense system would force Russia and other nations to boost their offensive capabilities to be able to overcome that defense. Secretary Cohen’s offer of a briefing presumably is to provide more background to this thought.

If Gov. Bush were to accept that offer — and he should — consider what the public would get. He and Vice President Al Gore would focus on the important subject of nuclear weapons for more than a single speech. They would force each other to know more and explain more about the topic than is normal in an election. Gov. Bush’s estimable team would more fully describe how its members landed on the proposals presented by the governor. The candidates could develop their positions not only as they directly affect missile counts, but how they regard the armed world and this nation’s place in it.

The commonplace platitudes of a race put the public to sleep. Secretary Cohen has presented a way to wake it up and inform at the same time.