05/09/01: Bush Taps New DEA Chief

[Freakapotimus]

Wednesday May 09 08:39 AM EDT

Bush Taps New DEA Chief
By ABCNEWS.com

President Bush will name Ark. Rep. Asa Hutchinson head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, ABCNEWS has learned.

President Bush has tapped Republican Rep. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas to become the next head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, ABCNEWS has learned.Administration officials said today Bush would soon nominate Hutchinson to the position of DEA administrator. The nomination would then head to the Senate for approval.

Hutchinson, 50, was elected to Congress in 1996 and currently serves on the Speaker's Task Force for a Drug-Free America - a working-group whose members are appointed by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.

A member of the House Judiciary Committee, Hutchinson was one of 13 Republican prosecutors during President Clinton's impeachment trial. He is married with four children.

The DEA is an arm of the Justice Department and is charged with enforcing controlled substance laws and regulations. As of last year, the agency employed some 9,132 personnel and had a budget of $1.55 billion.

If confirmed, Hutchinson would replace current administrator Donnie Marshall, who was appointed to the post by Clinton in 1999.

[Freakapotimus]

Thursday May 10 2:34 AM ET

Bush Makes Pick for Top Drug Post
By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush is naming conservative John P. Walters as his drug policy director and keeping the post in his Cabinet.

Bush was to nominate Walters head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in a Rose Garden ceremony Thursday.

Walters is known for his tough approach on drugs. He was the office's deputy director for supply reduction when it was headed by William Bennett during the administration of former President Bush.

Walters has stressed the importance of criminal penalties for drug users and opposed the use of marijuana for medical purposes. He also has favored the drug certification program, in which nations are judged by their anti-drug efforts. The program has been a sore point in U.S.-Mexican relations.

Walters is president of the Philanthropy Roundtable, a national donors group. He also is a co-author with Bennett and John J. DiIulio Jr. of the book ``Body Count: Moral Poverty and How to Win America's War Against Crime and Drugs.'' DiIulio is now the head of the White House Office of Community and Faith-Based Initiatives.

Two White House officials said Bush plans to make the drug policy director's position a Cabinet-level post, as it had been while Barry McCaffrey headed the office under former President Clinton. Democratic and Republican lawmakers have urged Bush to keep it in the Cabinet.

The office has been without a permanent director since McCaffrey resigned in January.

The drug policy office oversees more than $19 billion in anti-drug programs, working with dozens of agencies.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Wednesday that there are 5 million ``hard-core'' drug abusers in the United States.

``The president is committed to fighting the war on drugs,'' Fleischer said.

Asked what would constitute a victory, he said: ``A reduction in the number of Americans who abuse drugs, and an increase in the number of Americans who are successfully treated so they no longer use drugs.''

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On the Net: Office of National Drug Control Policy: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/

[shorbe]

I like this idea of judging other countries on their drug policies. It's so cute. While the rest of the civilised, western world is heading in the direction of progressive drug laws, the US must be the most regressive country in the world.

Let's hear a big "Fuck you, Dubya, we don't care!" from all our Dutch friends out there! :)

shorbe