LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The most successful politicians pick a good, strong horse and ride it

hard and fast.

President Reagan had “Star Wars.” President Clinton has the economy.

And in January 1999, Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach), hoping to

find a pony that might get him into the White House, had the Chinese spy

scandal.

In a “lurid” report riddled with “factual errors” and “inflammatory”

language leading to “unwarranted” conclusions (the quotes are not mine

but those of Michael May, director emeritus of Lawrence Livermore

National Laboratory, where he was a leader in the U.S. nuclear weapons

program for 36 years), a Cox-led congressional committee screamed

hysterical charges of theft of our nation’s top weapons secrets--the

“crown jewel of our nuclear arsenal,” Cox cried--all led by a supposedly

diabolical man named Wen Ho Lee.

The Daily Pilot listened to Chicken Little and then trumpeted the

charges on the front page. You could almost hear the back-slapping going

on all over Newport Beach as our smug little community congratulated

itself on being represented by this young golden boy, who was one of the

first to point a finger at Chinese spies.

Rumor had it Cox was in line to be Speaker of the House or perhaps a

vice presidential running mate or maybe even a candidate for president.

Hip, hip, hooray for Christopher Cox!

And then the pony collapsed of its own weight and Cox fell silent.

Though this McCarthy-like hysteria helped lead to the 59 charges against

Lee, who was held in solitary confinement for 278 days, it soon became

apparent that there was no diabolical plot to steal top-secret

information. And the 900-page Cox report became a doorstep.

Lee has been released and all but one of the 59 charges were dropped.

The federal judge handling the case called it an “embarrassment to this

entire nation.” He personally apologized to Lee for what had been done to

him. But I don’t recall hearing anything from Cox.

Nor have I read any follow-up by the Daily Pilot. Have any of the

reporters who were so anxious to get a sound bite from Cox when the

supposed spy scandal first broke attempted to see what the congressman

has to say now that a federal judge as labeled the whole exercise “an

abuse of power?”

No doubt Cox was too busy dining with Republican presidential nominee

George W. Bush at a secluded location on private Harbor Island (the Daily

Pilot’s headline, “Bush makes pit stop in Newport,” was all too

appropriate) to concern himself with any injustice that stemmed largely

from his inflammatory report of a year ago.

I’m sure Cox is more concerned about securing a position in the White

House, should the Republicans win, than issuing an apology to Lee or the

Asian-American community, but he owes one to both.

As for the Daily Pilot, it’s great to get a local story of such

national importance. But it’s just as important to follow up on the

story.

By letting Cox off the hook, you have done your readers a disservice.

Why don’t you have one of your reporters contact Cox and ask him how his

Chinese pony is?

I have a feeling it died months ago.

DAVID LANSING

Newport Beach