The Contra Account Runs Dry

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Contra supporters read this as an ominous sign that the Sandinistas have no intention of moving toward democracy. Elliott Abrams, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs and Reagan's embattled point man on the contra issue, has warned that without pressure from the rebels, "Nicaragua will become another Cuba, and the chances of the survival of democracy in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras are enormously diminished."

After the House vote, the President began searching for other means to support the contras, but his options were limited at best. The Administration was quick to point out that it will not be involved in private efforts to sustain the rebels. Moreover, the Administration wants no part of the clandestine contra schemes of yesteryear. "There ain't going to be an Ollie North on this watch," said a senior White House aide grimly.

There was a glimmer of support for the President when the Senate voted 51 to 48 in favor of the aid package, although, after the House action, the upper chamber's vote was merely symbolic. Perhaps the best the President can expect is a $10 million package of humanitarian aid that congressional Democrats are cobbling together. But the Administration is hardly enthusiastic about it. "They just want to send food and bandages," says one official. "That's not the kind of help that can keep a fighting force in the field."

In the wake of last week's defeat, contra supporters tried to specify what went wrong. After all, it was only a year and a half ago that Congress approved $100 million in aid to the rebels. Some cited the Iran-contra affair. Others said political expediency had come into play. "This is an election year," said one contra booster, "and the plain fact is that there is not resounding ((public)) support for aid."

For this the Administration has only itself to blame. In seven years, Ronald Reagan has failed to articulate a coherent policy toward the Sandinistas, while his Government's actions have covered the range from amateurism to outright duplicity. Says New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley, a Democrat who once supported contra aid: "There is a difference between speeches that rail at Communists and a policy that effectively counters them. Speeches are easy. Policy takes effort and care."