NEW DRUG CHIEF CAUSES A STIR

Bush Defends Choice, Promises Sensitivity To 'Tragedy'

WASHINGTON - President Bush chose John P. Walters, a get-tough figure
from the drug wars of his father's presidency, to lead a renewed
narcotics battle that he promised would be sensitive to the "human
tragedy" of drug addiction.

Bush's announcement Thursday drew immediate objections from several
groups who contended Walters cares little about drug treatment and
will return to lock-'em-up policies of the 1980s.

And that, in turn, annoyed Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy
Thompson, who said Bush fully intends "a total frontal assault against
drug abuse" through a combination of rehabilitation, education and
interdiction.

"I'd tell those cynics out there, look at what the president has been
trying to do. Listen to what's said. And just get out of our way if
you're going to be a cynic, and let us do our job," Thompson said.

Takes A Swipe At Clinton

Bush announced his selection of Walters as director of the Office of
National Drug Control Policy during a Rose Garden ceremony, and said
he would keep the post Cabinet-level. In a tacit rebuke of his
predecessor, Bill Clinton, the president said too little had been done
lately to curb the drug use that had been declining among high school
students in the 1980s and early 1990s.

"We had made tremendous strides in cutting drug use. This cannot be
said today," Bush said. "We must do, and will do, a better job."

Walters pledged to protect children, help drug addicts and "shield our
communities from the terrible human toll taken by illegal drugs."

Advocacy groups were deeply suspicious. They noted that the drug
policy office oversees more than $19 billion in anti-drug programs,
working with dozens of agencies, while Bush's budget proposal for
fiscal 2002 seeks $1.6 billion for treatment programs.

"Punishing People For Their Sins"

"Everything about John Walters' past record suggests that he believes
drug policy has nothing to do with science or public health. It's all
about punishing people for their sins," said Ethan Nadelmann, director
of the Lindesmith Center, a New York-based drug policy research institute.

Walters was the drug policy office's deputy director for supply
reduction when it was headed by William Bennett during the
administration of former President Bush.

Walters has stressed the importance of criminal penalties for drug
users and opposed the use of marijuana for medical purposes. He also
has favored the drug certification program, in which nations are
judged by their anti-drug efforts, a sore point in U.S.-Mexican relations.

Appointment Called "Thumb In The Eye"

Walters is president of the Philanthropy Roundtable, a national donors
group. He co-authored a book with Bennett and John DiIulio Jr., "Body
Count: Moral Poverty and How to Win America's War Against Crime and Drugs."

Bill Zimmerman, director of the Campaign for New Drug Policies, called
Walters' appointment "a thumb in the eye" to voters in 17 states who,
over the past year, favored issues ranging from medical use of
marijuana to using seized drug proceeds for drug treatment, rather
than law enforcement.

Bush defended Walters during a visit later Thursday to an anti-drug
community program in a Washington suburb, saying he "understands the
need to reduce demand" through treatment.

"The most effective way to reduce the supply of drugs in America is to
reduce the demand for drugs in America," Bush said. "Therefore, this
administration will focus unprecedented attention on the demand side
of this problem."

Besides Walters, Bush announced a series of Cabinet reviews to
determine the effectiveness of current federal anti-drug efforts. He
categorically rejected the idea of legalizing drugs as "a social
catastrophe" that would undermine efforts to teach children that drug
use is wrong.

Also, the White House revealed that Bush and Vice President Dick
Cheney were among 650 new White House employees who took required drug
tests in January. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said 127 White
House staffers have been randomly tested since the initial round of
examinations, "and there are no problems that have been brought to
anybody's attention."