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| President Names Congressman To Drug Agency |
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Posted by FoM on May 09, 2001 at 18:30:33 PT By The Associated Press Source: Associated Press 
President Bush on Wednesday nominated Rep. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, a House prosecutor in former President Clinton's impeachment trial, to head the Drug Enforcement Administration. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer announced the nomination during his daily media briefing. The position is subject to Senate confirmation. Fleischer said Bush chose Hutchinson because ``the president wants to have somebody at the DEA ... who is committed to fighting the war on drugs and recognizes the need to address the issue from a variety of fronts.'' Hutchinson, a former federal prosecutor, is serving his third term from a heavily Republican district in northwest Arkansas. He is the brother of Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., who faces a stiff re-election campaign. Hutchinson said the problem of drugs has been one of his highest priorities in Congress and that he had worked on developing fair sentences for offenders and increasing funds for drug education. ``I have seen the drug war from all sides -- as a member of Congress, as a federal prosecutor, and as a parent -- and I know the importance of fighting this battle on all fronts,'' he said in a statement. Hutchinson received a law degree from the University of Arkansas and is a former chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party. He also was among the managers of Clinton's Senate impeachment trial, which resulted in an acquittal. The Drug Enforcement Agency is a part of the Department of Justice, and is at the forefront of U.S. drug interdiction efforts. It is separate from the Office of Drug Control Policy, which is a White House-based policy office. Bush has yet to nominate a director for the drug policy office, but is said to be considering John P. Walters, who was top deputy to William J. Bennett, drug policy director during the presidency of Bush's father. Hutchinson, 50, would succeed acting Director Donnie R. Marshall. Source: Associated Press Related Articles: Impeachment Figure in Line for DEA Post Republican Congressman To Head Drug Agency Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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| Comment #7 posted by freedom fighter on May 10, 2001 at 18:50:18 PT |
| its' very own DEA agents.. Common grunts who are just foot soliders for the dud who now are going to wear some sort of clothing but only forgot to put his clean underwear on! Hey,DEA, yeah, check this out! [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #6 posted by dddd on May 10, 2001 at 12:30:10 PT |
| Wouldnt it be wonderful if Hutchinson was publicly grilled on national TV in the same manner that he pompously grilled everyone at the Clinton impeachment hearings. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #5 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on May 10, 2001 at 11:43:11 PT:
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| Based on Kap's investigation, it is essential that Hutch be queried about this event in his confirmation hearings. Americans want to know! [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #4 posted by Pontifex on May 10, 2001 at 11:10:27 PT:
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| Dan, you hit the nail on the head. Repeatedly. I'm also skeptical of Hutchinson's claimed perspective Amazing how much influence one well-timed movie can [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #3 posted by kaptinemo on May 10, 2001 at 05:00:04 PT:
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| So Hutchinson is going to hread the DEA? The very same DEA that was supposed to be investigating the drug smuggling at Mena, Arkansas during Ollie North's "Enterprise" was shipping armsDown South...and the planes came back full of nose-candy? The second I read this, I dug around. Read this: From the article: "Carol Conger, the committee's information officer, said, "It (the promise) affected the election, and people voted for Mr. Bryant because of his stance on this issue." Bryant denied making any promise to convene a grand jury as he successfully fought off Asa Hutchinson, the Republican nominee who is now co-chairman of the state Republican Party, for the attorney general's office last year."Asa claimed to be tough on drugs during the campaign, and I used the Mena situation to show he was prosecutor for five years and he allowed the biggest drug-smuggling ring to continue for the whole time," Yes, another Bush Prime toadie who 'played ball' during the biggest cocaine smuggling operation in US history...is now going to be top watchdog of the DEA for Bush Too. Yeah, right. Uh-hunh. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #2 posted by Dan B on May 09, 2001 at 22:44:44 PT:
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| I have seen the drug war from all sides -- as a member of Congress, as a federal prosecutor, and as a parent No, those are not "all sides," Mr. Hutchinson. You're "forgetting" the side of the casual drug user, the girlfriend of the drug dealer who gets twenty years because she "should have known what her boyfriend was up to," and the 74-year-old man who was shot to death in his own home by cops who got the wrong house in a no-knock drug raid. You "forgot" to address the issue from the side of the addict who genuinely wants help, but is afraid to ask his or her doctor for that help for fear of prosecution. You "forgot" to address the issue from the point of view of the rabbi who tried to help heroin addicts by supplying them with an herb suitable to helping them kick their habits (cannabis), and was arrested and tried for possession and distribution because of it. You "forgot" to address the issue from the point of view of an innocent black man who was shot to death by police trying to make a "buy and bust" in New York City. You "forgot" to address the issue from the point of view of the young women convicted of nonviolent drug "crimes" and are subjected to sexual humiliation and rape as a matter of routine in American prisons. You "forgot" to address the issue from the point of view of the young men convicted of nonviolent drug "crimes" who are also subjected to sexual humiliation and rape as a matter of routine in American prisons. In short, you have addressed the "drug issue" from only one side: the side of a hypocritical zealot who ignores his own harm to others while condemning those who, if they cause harm at all, are doing so only to themselves. Asa Hutchinson is, in short, an ignorant, irresponsible, hateful and despicable fool. And now he's in charge of the DEA. Congratulations, all who voted for Dubya. You got what you voted for. Maybe next time, you'll vote Libertarian. Dan B [ Post Comment ] |
| Comment #1 posted by MikeEEEEE on May 09, 2001 at 18:47:55 PT |
| Yes, some poor souls take marching orders blindly, others see these dark people for who they are. I usually don't read the Associated Rag, ops press. [ Post Comment ] |
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