neo-Nazi or K.K.K. network, thus givingrnan agreeable frisson to the genteel reader.”rnIn Cockburn’s view, leftists havernmade a grave mistake in failing to understandrn—and often misrepresenting—thernnature and aims of the militias. In thernJune 26 Nation, Cockburn wondered,rn”How come people oppressed by economicrncircumstances and governmentrnpredations who take up arms and defyrnthe state in southern Mexico are hailedrnin The Nation and other pwog publicationsrnas virtuous revolutionaries, whereasrnthose in the West and Midwest who dornthe same thing are reflexively denouncedrnas Nazis?” Cockburn recommendedrnthat “instead of whining on about thernright, and discovering to its apparentrnstupefaction that the N.R.A. and PatrnBuchanan direct their appeals to thernright. The Nation should try to offerrnsome political vision, develop positivernprograms of its own, and stop . . . remittingrninfo to the F.B.I, about the redneckrnmenace.rn-Michael WashburnrnSENATOR BOB PACKWOOD, arnleft-wing Republican, enjoyed the supportrnof Republican bigwigs, includingrnSenator Robert Dole, until he crossedrnthe path of left-wing Democrat BarbararnBoxer, who finally brought him to bookrnfor molesting women. Ironically, Packwoodrnwas a darling of the feminists. Onrnabortion, he was Mr. Reliable. He supportedrnfederal funding for Planned Parenthoodrn(is there a conflict of interestrnhere?), and even though many of themrnapparently spurned his many romanticrnovertures, Packwood tried to help thernladies girdle the Constitution with anrnEqual Rights Amendment.rnOn taxing and spending, Packwoodrnhad a mixed record. The National TaxpayersrnUnion viewed him as a moderaternwho tried to help cut federal spendingrnwhen he could, and his record in thern103rd Congress shows that he voted forrndecreasing federal spending by aboutrn$39 billion. Yet he sponsored or cosponsoredrnlegislation that would havernincreased federal spending by $669rnmillion. Citizens Against CovernmentrnWaste gave him a lifetime rating ofrnabout 50 out of a possible 100 for hisrnvoting record, but his latest annualrntally dropped him below 40, a territoryrnalmost solely the preserve of Democrats.rnAmong other things, he’s a famous supporterrnof energy research that has nornend, such as that for the liquid-metalrnand fusion reactors. Packwood also supportedrnthe Pentagon’s Civilian MarksmanshiprnProgram, which predates WorldrnWar I and teaches civilians how to shootrnrifles, hardly a necessity in an age of laserrnsights. In any event, as he was on fiscalrnmatters, Packwood was a mixed bag onrngun control. He opposed cutting therncongressional budget, and like many Republicans,rneven supported the federalrnprogram that pays to advertise the productsrnof American corporations overseas.rnAs for Packwood’s rectitude as a publicrnofficial, his diaries tell almost as sordidrna tale on that subject as they do aboutrnhis clumsy attempts at amour. They arernfull of references to illegal campaignrnfundraising activities. In one entry,rnPackwood admitted that a few ideas discussedrnat a private meeting with SenatorrnPhil Gramm, if brought to fruition,rnwould result in jail time.rnLosing Packwood was hardly a setbackrnfor Republican conservatives, whichrnposes the question of why they fumbledrnan opportunity to promote themselvesrnas the pro-family party of moralsrnand virtue. Dumping Packwood was arnno-brainer, especially when it becamernclear he really was the lecher describedrnby his accusers. But Dole andrnCompany, bitter-enders when it comesrnto one of their own, never got the point.rnSenator Mitch McConnell, the Kentuckianrnin charge of the Senate EthicsrnCommittee, strongly opposed holdingrnpublic hearings on Packwood’s crimesrnand misdemeanors, and few if any Republicans,rnincluding presidential candidaternDole, said much about him at all.rnInstead of booting Packwood immediately,rnthey began attacking PackwoodianrnDemocrats.rnWhat about Ted Kennedy? Hilariously,rnRepublicans threatened to hold hearingsrnon Chappaquiddick and perhapsrnexplore Kennedy’s other exploits. Just asrnthey must earn respect and love, menrnmust also earn loyalty. Justice, however,rnis another matter. Everyone deservesrnjustice, and sometimes, a man must administerrnjust punishment to a friend. Ifrnthe Republicans on Capitol Hill understoodrnthat, justice for their friend Packwoodrnwould have been summary, asrnswift and sure as the necktie partyrnheld for Steve when the Virginianrncaught his dear friend rustling cattle.rn—R. Corf KirkwoodrnOBITER DICTA: Chronicles readersrnwho have enjoyed Derrick Turner’s reportsrnin these pages on English politicsrnand culture may wish to sample RightrnNow!, his quarteriy journal published inrnLondon. Written with the liveliness thatrnmarks Turner’s essays, Right Now! is kickingrnsand in the faces of apologists for thernThird Wodd invasion of the West. Tornsubscribe, send a check for $15 to RightrnNow!, BCM Right, London WCINrn3XX, England. A sample copy may bernpurchased for $5.rn* * *rnCount Nikolai Tolstoy has received a reprieve.rnThe February issue of Chroniclesrnfeatured an article by Anthony Harriganrnon Count Tolstoy’s campaign to draw attentionrnto the plight of White Russiansrnshipped back to Russia in Wodd War II.rnFor his efforts, Tolstoy was hit withrna multimillion-dollar lawsuit allegingrnthat he had libeled those responsible forrnthe deportations. But in July, as ThernGuardian reports, the European Courtrnof Human Rights ruled that the sentencernimposed on Tolstoy was too severe,rnand he will now pay a smaller sum.rn* * *rnChristina Jeffrey, a contributor to Chroniclesrnwhose appointment as House historianrnwas ended by a scandal over her criticismsrnof a school curriculum on thernholocaust, has been exonerated by thernAnti-Defamation League of all chargesrnof anti-Semitism, the Washington Postrnreported in September. As A D L DirectorrnAbraham Foxman remarked, “If thernspeaker now gives her a job, we wouldrnsay, ‘God bless.'”rn# yf ^rnChronicles is now available in the followingrnConnecticut locations: BordersrnBookstore, 1041 High Ridge Rd., Stamford;rnBarnes & Noble Superstore,rn360 Connecticut Ave., Norwalk; NewsrnHaven, 1058 Chapel St., New Haven;rnBarnes & Noble Superstore, DanburyrnSq., Danbury; Archway News, 64 BankrnSt., New Milford; Barnes & Noble Superstore,rn200 Universal Dr. North, NorthrnHaven.rnSamuel Francis, whose Principalities & Powers column typically follows thisrnsection, is on vacation this month.rnDECEMBER 1995/7rnrnrn