id he or didn't he? George W. Bush thinks he has a primary-winning strategy: Deflect questions about cocaine use that come from the tornado-strength rumor mill. But his silence does not - as Bush has suggested - help teenagers.

This month Bush said baby boomer parents should tell their children: ''`I've learned from mistakes I may or may not have made.''' Such evasive parental advice deserves all the adolescent scorn it is likely to inspire. In October Bush told Newsweek that he doesn't want to arm adolescents with the excuse of, ''Well, Governor Bush tried it.''

It's too late.

Cynical teenagers probably assume the worst: Bush used cocaine, and he got away with it - which makes him a role model mostly for keeping your mouth shut. And silence makes it too easy for teenagers - and adults - to find hypocrisy in his tough-on-drugs policies as governor of Texas.

In Rhode Island, a contrasting disclosure was made by Lincoln Chafee. In the midst of his campaign to replace his father, John Chafee, as US senator from Rhode Island, the son has confessed to using cocaine in the 1970s.

There is no evidence that Bush used cocaine, but if he really wants to be a positive role model, he could find useful ways to come clean. No one needs a report with Kenneth Starr-style details. But Bush could share insights on something the public knows about: his past drinking.

Confessing about illegal drug use is harder. And as Americans have seen, maintaining privacy can be a great public mercy. But there is no denying the power of a reformed user who makes serious, heartfelt points about his past habit.

The other issue is how much race and class matter. Assume Bush never used drugs; it's still disturbing that being white or wealthy can turn broken laws into ''youthful indiscretions'' instead of jail time.

By disclosing his past, Bush could shut down speculation. But it's more important that he debate how drug laws can be more fairly applied. That's an honest message for teenagers.