The fridge in the Pentagon.

• Position: Incoming Defense Sec. William J. Perry - Editorial

Bill Clinton, after offering the position of Defense Secretary to everyone but Al Haig, finally settled on William "The Refrigerator" Perry.

Clinton's tortured selection process was enough to give anyone indigestion. First, he sought out Colin Powell; then he foisted the job on Bobby Ray Inman. When Inman wigged out, Clinton begged Warren Rudman and twice waved the job under the nose of Sam Nunn - whose bigotry and bullheadedness the President evidently finds endearing. Nunn was so loyal and inspiring during the gays-in-the-military controversy, why not give him the Pentagon as a reward?

The floundering for Les Aspin's replacement reveals two disturbing facts. First, that Clinton doesn't give a rip about Defense. And second, that he has no political disagreement with the way the Pentagon has behaved under the last two Administrations. Why else would he seek out Powell or Inman, or Sam Nunn for that matter?

For Clinton, the Pentagon, the military-industrial complex, bloated "defense" budgets, and the maintenance of the U.S. empire are givens - indeed, they are desirable ends in themselves. In his State of the Union address, he could boast, in language any Republican could have used: "Many people urged us to cut our defense spending further to pay for our government programs. I said no. The budget I sent to Congress draws the line against further defense cuts."

Do we really need $300 billion in Pentagon spending against puny or nonexistent enemies? Clinton thinks so.

And so does William Perry...