Pubdate: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 Source: Charlotte Observer (NC) Copyright: 1999 The Charlotte Observer Contact: http://www.charlotte.com/observer/ Author: MARK Z. BARABAK, Los Angeles Times BUSH'S ANSWERS RAISE QUESTIONS Republican Alters Course On Drug Queries Texas Gov. George W. Bush, answering questions he assiduously and angrily avoided for years, Thursday proclaimed himself drug-free for more than the last two decades. But rather than resolve rumors about his admittedly hard-partying past, Bush's circumscribed statements renewed speculation about his personal conduct -- and a debate over the bounds of legitimate media inquiry. Bush's qualified comments also drew comparisons to President Clinton and his habit of dribbling out denials. Speaking to reporters in Roanoke, Va., during a campaign stop, Bush said Thursday he could have cleared a 15-year background check during his father's years in the White House, including questions about past drug use. The period would extend to 1974, when Bush was in his late 20s. "Not only could I pass the background check and the standards applied to today's White House," Bush told reporters, "but I could have passed the background check and the standards applied on the most stringent conditions when my dad was president of the United States." The senior Bush served as president from 1989 to 1993. A day earlier, responding to a question from the Dallas Morning News, Bush had declared himself drug-free for at least the past seven years. His explicit, if calibrated, denial of drug use over a specific time marked a turnabout for the GOP presidential front-runner, who as recently as last weekend insisted he would not "play the Washington, D.C., game of gossip" by answering such inquiries. The 53-year-old Bush has often admitted to a venturesome past, including heavy drinking until he swore off alcohol on his 40th birthday. He has also declared himself faithful to his wife, Laura, throughout their 21 years of marriage. But until this week, Bush had repeatedly and sometimes heatedly refused to answer questions regarding rumors of cocaine use, although his rivals for the Republican nomination have all said they never used cocaine. Bush's refusal to answer such questions changed when the Dallas Morning News asked whether, as president, Bush would insist that his appointees answer drug-use questions contained in the FBI's standard background check. "As I understand it, the current form asks the question, `Did somebody use drugs within the last seven years?' and I will be glad to answer that questions, and the answer is, `No,' " Bush said. On Thursday, Bush went further, essentially denying any drug use over the past 25 years. Beyond that, however, he refused to say. "I believe it is important to put a stake in the ground and say enough is enough when it comes to trying to dig up people's backgrounds in politics," the candidate told reporters at a follow-up news conference in Columbus, Ohio. "I'm going to tell people I made mistakes and that I have learned from my mistakes," Bush said. "And if they like it, I hope they give me a chance. And if they don't like it, they can go find somebody else to vote for." But instead of quashing rumors about his past, Bush's statements drew intense new focus to the unsubstantiated allegations of drug use -- and criticism from supporters and opponents alike, who likened his carefully crafted responses to Clinton's famous evasions. For years Clinton ducked questions about drug use by saying he had "never violated the laws of my country." Only when an interviewer asked during the 1992 presidential primaries about international laws did Clinton admit to trying marijuana while studying abroad. "It's Clintonesque," one frustrated Bush supporter said of the governor's evolving approach to discussing his past indiscretions. "He wants to be the anti-Clinton, but he's looking more like Clinton." A Bush spokesman dismissed the comparison. "Far from it," said Scott McClellan. "Governor Bush has said he has learned from his mistakes and he's honest about it." As Texas governor, Bush endorsed several anti-drug measures, including laws that toughened penalties for people convicted of possessing or selling less than a gram of cocaine. Publicly, the governor's opponents sought to distance themselves from the budding controversy. "I'm not going to comment on George Bush's life," Elizabeth Dole said after being peppered with questions as she left a fund-raising lunch in Irvine, Calif. "That's his personal life." Arizona Sen. John McCain was a bit more equivocal. "If it was my preference, I would allow the governor privacy on this issue," McCain told reporters after delivering a speech on technology issues in San Francisco. "But I also understand that the media and the American people are the ones that make that decision." Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch urged the Texas governor to put the cocaine issue to rest once and for all. "I think he is going to be beaten to death with that question until he finally has to answer it," Hatch said. "If he didn't use cocaine, then say he didn't. If he did use it, then explain why he did, and that it was a terrible part of his life, and show how he has overcome it." Bush advisers believe that, in the wake of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, the public has little appetite for media inquiries about the private lives of politicians, particularly in the absence of credible allegations, and they argue that the current flare-up will die out within a week or two. Bush has been the subject of repeated rumors involving drug use, but there is no evidence to back them up. A number of news organizations, including The Washington Post, have investigated the rumors and found no proof. "If anybody is skating on thin ice on this issue, it's the media and not the candidate," said Fred Steeper, a Bush pollster. He would not comment, however, on whether he had done any polling on the issue. Recent opinion polls show that the public believes that questions about drug use by presidential candidates are legitimate, though they do not regard the answers as highly relevant in determining a candidate's fitness for office. The Washington Post contributed to this article. "I believe it is important . . . to say enough is enough when it comes to trying to dig up people's backgrounds in politics," said George W. Bush, when questioned by reporters in Ohio. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart