COLUMN RIGHT/ ORRIN G. HATCH : An Apology Is Due the Chief of Staff : Sununu works harder than any corporate executive and deserves his travel perks.

The vitriolic attacks on White House chief of staff John Sununu should not surprise veteran Washington watchers. With President Bush riding a wave of popularity after the Persian Gulf victory, the Administration’s critics turned to one of the capital’s favorite political blood sports: attack through a proxy target. Unfortunately for him and his family, Sununu has become the lightning rod, under siege not because of what he has done but because of who he works for.

As a democratic society, Americans sometimes derive furtive pleasure from seeing the mighty humbled. While few have spoken out against the barrage of media criticism--including some of the most scathing political cartoons in memory--partisan critics have engaged in excessive verbal attacks. We need to put the issue of Sununu’s travel in perspective.

The tip-off that the issue is not advancing ethics but wounding the Administration lies in the recurring nature of the controversy. After Sununu weathered the first attacks, concerning his trips aboard military aircraft, his adversaries lined up another barrage on his use of a government car to travel to New York, then on accepting flights aboard corporate aircraft. Never mind that no laws or even ethical guidelines were broken or that he conducted business on his car phone during most of the trip to New York--or that many lower-ranking civilian and military officials quite properly have aircraft available for government-related travel. His adversaries were determined, in the Washington tradition, to create an “appearance of impropriety” and force him from office.

The real issue, however, is not whether he should accept corporate rides, but why he was ever deprived of military flights.

The future of the United States turns on the decisions made by its top political leaders. The demands on their schedules and attention dwarf those of their counterparts in the business world. Their jobs often push them to the brink of physical and mental exhaustion. If we want our leaders to make the right decisions, we should not quibble about providing facilities, such as aircraft for official business, that help them perform their almost impossible tasks while keeping them healthy, rested and family-oriented. Since their actions affect not billions but trillions of dollars of public spending, that is not too high a price to pay.

Today’s controversy centers not on some petty apparatchik but on a man who holds a critically important office. He orchestrates the President’s schedule, weighs in on all important issues, participates in almost every top-level meeting, administers the large staffs of the White House and the Executive Office of the President, travels frequently with the President, represents the Administration at scores of events, rides herd on the vast Washington bureaucracy to advance the President’s goals and carries on countless telephone calls with the ever-demanding 535 members of Congress who seek his attention.

John Sununu spends more time after hours serving the President than most executives spend on the job all day. He has set a standard that will represent a heavy cross to carry for all future chiefs of staff.

Yet fulfilling these official responsibilities would deprive anyone of the time needed for family and good health. Virtually all chief executives of Fortune 500 companies have corporate jets at their disposal to economize on travel time. They--and their stockholders--know that such conveniences are not pampered privileges but sound business sense. They can make the difference between winning or losing multimillion-dollar deals and sales, between making the right and wrong decisions. We as a nation have an even greater stake in ensuring that balanced and considered judgments determine our great national decisions.

Moreover, the critics overlook the fact that Air Force pilots and aircraft must log at least 20 hours of flight time per month, whether or not they have official passengers to transport. In addition, Air Force jets often must be moved around the country as part of the routine deployment schedules of the U.S. Military Airlift Command. Would the country really be better off if these jets flew empty rather than enabling officials such as Sununu to meet the demands of their jobs?

I can confirm that the rumors of John Sununu’s assertive personality match the reality. Nevertheless, I like and admire him and respect his profound capabilities. The attacks on his character are utterly fallacious. He is a man of great integrity, dedicated to public service and inspired by high-minded idealism. His critics have had their fun and games, but it is now time to stop subjecting him and his family to such gratuitous and baseless personal attacks.