THE WRONG NICKNAME

In the course of his evaluation of former Congressman Asa Hutchinson's role
as a House impeachment manager, Gene Lyons apparently misunderstood the
position to which Hutchinson has been confirmed.

The Senate recently approved Hutchinson's nomination as director of the
Drug Enforcement Agency. Lyons mistakenly referred to him as the "drug
czar," a nickname that is traditionally attached to the director of the
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

President Bush has nominated John Walters to direct this office, but the
Senate has yet to schedule a confirmation hearing. We can only hope that
he, too, possesses endless zeal and a genius for self-deception,
characteristics Lyon thought necessary of a drug czar and inherent in
Hutchinson.

Perhaps those qualities will aid Hutchinson in his position as director of
the DEA, but we will have to wait to see if they ever manifest themselves
in our next drug czar.

I know the difference between the two positions means little to many people
and makes no difference whatsoever in the substance of the argument, but
the same might also be said of the difference between a trout and a
small-mouth bass.

BRANDON LACY
Little Rock