HUTCHINSON AWAITS NOD FOR DEA NOMINATION

The wait continued Tuesday for the expected announcement
that Arkansas Rep. Asa Hutchinson would be the next head of the Drug
Enforcement Administration, but all signs continued to be positive.
Hutchinson's office is hoping today will be day, with the announcement
coming at the start of White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer's
daily briefing. "That's what we expect," said Betty Guhman,
Hutchinson's chief of staff. "This has been dragged out much longer
than we expected."

A well-placed Justice Department source said the White House has
selected Hutchinson and will make the announcement soon. "We have
very positive indications," the source said, speaking on the
condition of anonymity.

The Associated Press reported that the only issue holding up the
announcement was completion of background checks.

Hutchinson, in a statement, confirmed he has been in talks
with the White House. "While I have been in discussions with the White
House about the position of DEA administrator, an announcement of the
intent to nominate can be made only by the president," Hutchinson
said. "I am enjoying my work in Congress and my service to the people
of Arkansas, and I will reserve additional comments pending new
developments."

Fellow members of the Arkansas congressional delegation
spoke and acted as if it were a done deal at the Arkansas Chamber of
Commerce's annual Washington banquet Tuesday night.

If it is, an election will be held later in the year to fill his seat
in the U.S. House of Representatives. Both hawks and doves in the
federal war on drugs praised Hutchinson's likely selection. "I think
he would be great," former drug czar William Bennett said. "I know him
to be a man of honor and integrity." When Hutchinson served as a
prosecutor in former President Clinton's impeachment trial, Bennett
said, "He proved himself as an attorney, at least to me." Bennett
added that Hutchinson could help repair any damage Clinton-era
scandals did to Arkansas' reputation. Arkansans, he said, "have had a
tough rap the last few years.

People need to understand they are honorable people." The Drug Policy
Foundation, a think tank on drug-related issues that is critical of
the war on drugs, also likes Hutchinson. "What's interesting about him
is he has shown a willingness to think outside of the box," said
William McColl, director of the organization. "We're hopeful he will
represent a reasonable and more moderate voice." McColl also hopes
Hutchinson will make a stand for changes in manadatory-minimum
sentencing practices that have filled the nation's prisons with drug
offenders.

Hutchinson has shown a particular fascination with the war
on drugs almost from the day he arrived in Washington, according to a
review of speeches, committee assignments and bills that the
third-term congressman has sponsored. Indeed, two months into office,
the Arkansas Republican stood on the House floor and blasted the
Clinton administration for "retreating."

"During the 1980s, our nation declared a war against drugs. I was in
that battle as a federal prosecutor. It was during that time that our
families, our communities and our law-enforcement officials mobilized
in a united effort to fight this war. Because of this national
crusade, teen-age drug abuse declined from 1985 to 1992,"Hutchinson
said on March 6, 1997.

"Then what happened? It was then that our national commitment against
this war on drugs waned. It was then that teen-age drug use again
started to increase, and we saw that teen-age experimentation with
drugs was on the incline."

The DEA position would make Hutchinson the point man in the country's
efforts to eliminate illegal drugs.

He would oversee a staff of more than 9,100 employees, a budget of $
1.5 billion and offices in 56 foreign countries. He also is on the
Select Committee on Intelligence, which makes him privy to budget
discussions for such agencies as the Central Intelligence Agency,
which often works hand in hand with the DEA. If nominated to head the
DEA, Hutchinson would need to be confirmed by the Senate. If approved,
he would work with the United Nations, Interpol and other
organizations on international drug-control programs. Information for
this article was contributed by Kevin Freking of the Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette.