PRESIDENT CLINTON MAY BE ONLY COP ON IRAQI BEAT

We have our new president. He campaigned almost exclusively on domestic issues, especially the economy. He pledged to focus his immediate attention on dealing with, if not solving some of the multitude of problems besetting America at home. That's what Bill Clinton fully intended, but the world does not stand still for even the best of political intentions. Vexing international dilemmas are on the Clinton presidential plate and they necessitate immediate attention. The most vexing is Iraq.

At first blush, it's pretty simple: If crazy old Saddam steps his toe over the line in any respect, let him have it. Shoot down a plane, bomb some missile sites, blow up some buildings. Do what John Wayne would do. It isn't so simple when you find out that our allies aren't as enthused about tit-for-tat bombing retaliation as we are.

Saudi Arabia, the nation we saved from Saddam's next grab, wants to forget about the American rescue job. Saudi Arabia is highly embarrassed that as the guardian of the Arab soul and the keeper of the most sacred of Muslim holy places, it had to be rescued by a bunch of whiskey-drinking infidels.

Egypt says that it is just as important to demand that Israel take back the expelled Palestinians sitting in no-man's-land in Lebanon as it is to demand that Saddam dot all the "i's" and cross all the "t's" in his own sovereign territory.

Russia states that any response to Iraqi violations should "be based on concerted decision" by the United Nations. England and France are very reluctant to resort to military force. They agreed to participate in attacks on Iraqi air defenses in the air-exclusion zones, but apparently they would not sanction the American cruise missile attack against the industrial complex outside of Baghdad.

The exclusion zones in northern and southern Iraq were created by the coalition commanders at the end of the Gulf War. These zones are not Security Council resolutions authorizing the coalition to punish for violations by shooting down Iraqi planes or bombing gun emplacements.

In the minds of most of our coalition partners, Saddam has been converted from a clear and present menace to a clear and present nuisance. Saddam generates the headlines, but Iran causes more apprehensions among Middle Eastern leaders as a threat to the peace. With the often bizarre ricochet effect of a foreign policy decision, recent events have strengthened, not diminished Saddam's hold on power in Iraq.

President Clinton says he will continue the Bush policy of proximate retaliation for any future no-fly zone violations by Saddam. The day may come when he will be the lone enforcer.

As Clinton has considerate "honeymoon" clout in domestic American politics, so too does he have clout in world politics. He might well use some of it by going to the Security Council to seek overall authority to enforce as necessary the integrity of the no-fly zones and the unqualified right of the weapons inspectors to do their jobs. Of course, there are risks in this approach. But absent some specific authorization from the Security Council, Clinton runs the risk of being the only and the eternal cop on Iraqi beat.