REPUBLICANS, JOHNSON DIFFER ON DRUG WAR

SANTA FE -- After facing his toughest audience last month, Gov. Gary
Johnson got to preach to the choir this month when he addressed a drug
policy conference in Albuquerque sponsored by the Lindesmith Center. Our
governor was given standing ovations and hailed as a hero for his
opposition to the war on drugs.

The toughest audience Johnson has faced was the state Republican Central
Committee last May 5 where he had to defend his "Republicanism" and try
to convince the crowd that reforming our nation's drug efforts is "as
Republican as it gets." The state's Republican leaders seemed
unconvinced, sitting mostly silent during their governor's remarks.

But four weekends later, it was a completely different story. Johnson
was cheered when he exclaimed, "Current drug policy defies common
sense."

Also appearing at the drug conference were Rep. Joe Thompson and Sen.
Cisco McSorley, who carried much of the governor's drug program in the
2001 Legislature. Both warned that they face political repercussions for
their actions.

Thompson, an Albuquerque Republican, told the conference he had just
learned of a probable GOP opponent who is planning to make an issue of
Thompson's role as a sponsor of drug reform bills. "You've got to
protect your champions," he cautioned.

McSorley, an Albuquerque Democrat, warned the group that if officials
who stick their neck out backing drug law reform go down to defeat, it
will make it more difficult for other politicians to come out against
the drug war.

But Johnson, who doesn't plan to run again, was more upbeat. He cited
state GOP Chairman John Dendahl. who came under fire from New Mexico's
Republican congressional delegation and from state legislators for
embracing the governor's drug reform package.

The audience cheered when Johnson told them Dendahl last month won
re-election to the party chairmanship, defeating Rep. Ron Godbey, his
severest critic, by better than a 2-1 margin.

Dendahl certainly didn't campaign for his post on a drug reform
platform. In fact, he had to pledge not to mix his party chairmanship
with support of the governor's drug policy, as he had done during this
year's legislative session. Dendahl likely won re-election based on his
solid record of accomplishments the past six years.

Johnson also had to go to bat for Dendahl in a big way, making Dendahl's
nomination speech at the state Republican Central Committee meeting. The
governor stayed away completely from any mention of drugs during the
nomination speech. Instead, he lauded Dendahl for his dogged
determination in going after Democrats in order to get Republicans
elected.

"You won't muzzle John," the governor said. "He is an F-16 and a guided
missile rolled into one." As committee members tried to form a mental
picture of Johnson's metaphor, some might have been thinking of Dendahl
as a sometimes unguided missile.

To use another metaphor, Dendahl always has been a pistol. Recently, the
Lensic Theater in Santa Fe reopened after an $8 million renovation,
transforming it into the Lensic Performing Arts Center. Dendahl was one
of a few notables given an advance tour of the building. He immediately
headed for the balcony seating area where he said he courted dates back
in the 1950s.

Dendahl also admitted that he may have been one of the rowdies who threw
popcorn and Coke cups at the movie patrons below. Even those of us who
didn't grow up in Santa Fe know Dendahl was hedging a little. It is a
sure thing he was one of the rowdies. As Gary Johnson says, you can't
muzzle John Dendahl. There's no way to keep that bulldog from biting.

Rep. Ron Godbey, whom Dendahl defeated for the GOP chairmanship, doesn't
share the governor's charitable view of Dendahl. He says the Republican
Party chose drugs over common sense when it re-elected Dendahl.

It's not likely many people share Godbey's assessment of the election
outcome. The GOP hasn't climbed on the drug bandwagon.