telling the truth. The President is still responsible for

telling the truth. The President is still responsible for the general guidance of his Administration, its philosophy and direction, if you will. President Reagan must shoulder the responsibility for the men he hired, and for their actions.

Adm. Poindexter must have had some idea of the President’s feelings to have said that he felt sure the President would have approved, had he known.

The President, in the famous - or infamous - Forbes magazine article about his management style, explained that he hires the best people he can find, then leaves them alone. But he is still responsibly for their actions. Managers cannot escape responsibility by pleading ignorance.

And, given the reality of political appointments, people who don’t toe the party line pretty closely simply don’t become part of the team. And those who don’t play ball soon find their op- f tions cancelled. ' %

So to say that the President is exonerate^ I because he had no specifie knowledge of the operation is simplistic, and wrong. But, given the history of the Reagan Administration, why should we be surprised to hear that assertion?

So, to the President’s supporters, the Congressional investigation becomes a witchhunt, called by angry Democrats eager to cut a pound of flesh from a popular President. They conveniently forget that it was the Administration, not the Congress, which broke the law by participating in an illegal operation.'

They also conveniently forget that it was President Reagan who requested the Congressional investigation, as well as its predecessor, the Tower Commission.

And, conveniently again, Col. North’s personal charisma provides the President with a shield to hide behihd as the proud Marine, his chest bedecked with ribbons, bravely faces his 26 Congressional inquisitors and their team of lawyers.

History, I hope, will judge this affair in a colder, more objective light. The President and the men who acted in his name were wrong, not because they were patriotic, or desired to further democratic values. Those are noble motives, and in most cases would be cause for honor and acclaim.

They were wrong because they sought to further those values in a manner directly contradicting this nation’s democratic and constitutional structure. Apparently, Col. North and his minions have an abiding belief in democracy, but no understanding of its principles. As Sen. Warren Rudman said in his remarks to Col. North, “the American people have the constitutional right to be wrong.” So do its elected representatives.

America cannot set itself apart as “the shining house on a hill,” as Mr. Reagan pictured it early in his Presidency, if its highest officials act contrary to its democratic principles. That is, supposedly, what sets us apart, what makes us an example to other nations. No citizen, not even the President, is above the law. Ask Richard Nixon.

There is another nation which formulates and executes policy in secret, without accountability or regard for the wishes and feelings of its citizens. Its officials act without fear of criticism or dissent. No law will be broken by their actions. No court will find them guilty of wrongdoing. Its “dirty tricks” know no bounds. That nation is the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Surely, the United States can do better than to emulate its example.