HUTCHINSON MOVES EAGERLY INTO NEW DRUG JOB

WASHINGTON -- Asa Hutchinson didn't need much of a break between jobs. On
Friday he resigned as congressman of Arkansas' 3rd Congressional District.
On Wednesday, Attorney General John Ashcroft swore him in as the director
of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

"It would be nice to have some time off, but there is an opportunity here,
and I want to seize that," Hutchinson said from his new 12th-floor office
in Alexandria, Va. "I want to impress upon people the urgency of what we're
doing, and I think I'm needed right now."

Actually, Hutchinson didn't even wait until Wednesday to begin his new job.
He spent Tuesday moving some files, filling out paperwork and undergoing a
briefing from the agency's chief counsel on ethics. Members of the
executive branch must abide by stricter guidelines on such matters as gift
and travel than those in the legislative branch. Hutchinson referred to the
day as his "vacation day."

Hutchinson reported for his first official day of duty about 7:45 a.m.
Wednesday when he met with the outgoing administrator, Donnie Marshall. He
then attended a couple of receptions that allowed former President
Clinton's appointee to say goodbye to the staff. The first reception was
for 30 to 40 executive staff members. The next reception was for the
hundreds who work at DEA headquarters. Around the world the drug agency has
more than 9,100 employees in 78 offices in 56 countries.

An aide to Hutchinson described the meeting between Hutchinson and Marshall
as friendly, the two each taking time in front of the staff to compliment
the work of the other.

Hutchinson took a $12,000 a year pay cut to become the DEA administrator.
As a lawmaker, he earned $141,500 a year. But his present office is
palatial in comparison to his former office on Capitol Hill. The view is
magnificent, and he proudly pointed out that few others in the Washington
area offer a view of so many famous sights at one time: the Pentagon, the
White House, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials.

Hutchinson spent much of Wednesday meeting with key advisers. In the
morning he was briefed on up-to-the minute events concerning the drug
agency around the world. Then he met with Ashcroft for lunch and took the
oath of office. It was a brief, nonceremonial event. A swearing-in ceremony
for family, friends and the public will be held Aug. 20.

Hutchinson described the attorney general as gracious.

"It was a good moment, because he looked at me and remarked that he was
just amazed that I was willing to leave the House to take on this
responsibility," he said. "I just stressed to him how excited I was to be
working on this important mission."

In the afternoon Hutchinson was apprised of the agency's budget needs for
fiscal 2003, which is about 14 months away. His budget for the current year
is about $1.7 billion.

"I'm doing a lot of listening at first. I'm not going to come in here and
change everything, but I want to display the enthusiasm that I have and the
importance of this mission to America and America's future," Hutchinson said.

"My stamp is, I want to impress on the need for excellence -- excellence in
the way we go after our mission and the way we conduct our cases and the
integrity in which we operate. That's been the reputation of this agency,
and I want to continue that." This article was published on Thursday,
August 9, 2001