INTERVIEW WITH ASA HUTCHINSON

BILL O'REILLY, HOST: Now for the top story tonight, the big crackdown on
the Mexican border. Drug seizures are down. Undocumented aliens are down.
And joining us now from Washington is former Congressman Asa Hutchinson,
who now runs the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Mr. Hutchinson, I understand it's in half, 227 incidents in three weeks.
Last year, 123 incidents since the terror bombing. Why?

ASA HUTCHINSON, DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY: Well, I think that it's too early
to tell completely. The customs shows that the customs service reports that
it was 80 percent reduction in seizures along the border. Initially, we
were still making some seizures along the border. But clearly, a law
enforcement presence makes a difference. And the drug traffickers, whenever
they have a load to deliver, they're going to count the risk. And
obviously, it was an intensive effort along the border and it made an impact.

O'REILLY: It sure did. I mean, and also in undocumented aliens. They're way
down, too. You know what this tells me is that if you did what I had
suggested and put the military to back up the border patrol down there, you
could solve a lot of the drug problem and a lot of the undocumented alien
problem.

I don't know about the terrorist problem. That's a little complicated
because there's so few of them. But what are they doing differently now
than they did a month ago down on the Mexican border?

HUTCHINSON: Well, first of all, there's a reaction. I mean, there's a
perception by the drug traffickers that you've got an emergency situation,
which it is. You've got an intensification of efforts. But there's only so
long that they're going to stop doing their business. They have a payroll
to make. The United States, we go back to playing Monday night football.
They're going to go back to their drug trade.

And so it's just a question of time before, you know, they're going to be
either looking for different routes or they're going to continue to try to
move it through the border. We're not taking anything for granted there,
but we're delighted with a little bit of break. And hopefully the presence
along the border will continue to make a difference.

O'REILLY: OK, but the man power doesn't make a difference, does it not?

HUTCHINSON: Absolutely.

O'REILLY: OK, but then why won't the government put the troops on the
border to help us all be more secure in our homes? I'm not getting that.
See look, my thesis has just been proved. When you put the manpower on the
border, and I'm not saying you got to stop every vehicle, but you certainly
are there and everybody knows it. If you had the military backing up the
border patrol and the local authorities, it simply would get better.

HUTCHINSON: Well, there certainly is a deterrent effect of on the
traffickers when you have a strong law enforcement presence along the
border. We've been beefing up for years. Obviously this intensive pressure,
the longer inspections along the border, has made a difference in the
short-term.

O'REILLY: Absolutely.

HUTCHINSON: We'll see how long it lasts.

O'REILLY: Yes, we'll see where they go, but let them go to other routes.
You know what I mean? Let them. Let them be more inconvenienced. And just
don't make it so easy for these people to operate.

Now let's go into Afghanistan where we understand that Osama bin Laden, a
lot of the money that he uses to train his terrorists for their evil deeds
comes from heroin. Explain that to us.

HUTCHINSON: Well, in Afghanistan, which produces 70 percent of the world's
opium, which results in heroin, whenever you have 4,000 metric tons almost
of opium that's produced there, in which they have stockpiled that heroin,
the opium that is produced, you're looking at a ready supply of cash for
the terrorists or for their sponsors. And obviously in Afghanistan, which
produces so much, there is that ready supply of cash.

O'REILLY: Now this is against all Muslim religion and law. I mean, this bin
Laden, he's a fanatical Islam guy. I mean, that doesn't add up, does it?

HUTCHINSON: Well, I'm not going to be -- make any interpretations. And I
certainly don't think that the Muslims would support all that is happening
in Afghanistan. But in the case of the drug trafficking, clearly the
Taliban has been engaged in making revenue off of the trafficking. They tax
it. They've institutionalized their taxation there. They have participated
in the stockpiling of that. And they're making money off of it.

O'REILLY: So they're hypocrites. So these very devout Muslims are making
money off the deadliest drug on earth, heroin, and which is against all
Muslim teachings. So they're hypocrites.

HUTCHINSON: Well...

O'REILLY: In addition to being terrorists and everything else.

HUTCHINSON: You can -- listen. I think what they're doing is self- evident
to the world, that whenever you have a Taliban regime that protects
terrorists, that engages in revenue producing from drug trafficking, they
see it as a weapon against the west. Obviously that's not something that
the world looks favorably upon. And they've tried to address it from a
public relations standpoint.

O'REILLY: Yes, but this makes it so hollow, this jihad holy war. We're the
devout, you know, Allah-worshipping people. But hey, you want to buy some
heroin? You know, come on.

Mr. Hutchinson, always a pleasure to see you. All right? Keep us posted on
the Mexican border though. I think there's a bit story down there. Thanks a
lot.

Next up, the fallout in Florida in Florida continues over our interview
with a Muslim professor. And later on in this broadcast, the former head of
the CIA, Admiral Stansfield Turner, enters the no-spin zone. Right back.