CLEAN THE STATE DEPARTMENT HOUSE

President Bush should turn his compassionate conservative perspective on
Colombia, quickly. To help that country, the first thing he should do is
dismiss some Clinton-era holdouts at the State Department.

Of all the globe's trouble spots, Colombia is perhaps the most worrisome
for the United States and closest to its interests. As the situation in
Colombia grows more severe, its problems are increasingly infectious. Rebel
and paramilitary terrorism is undermining stability in neighboring
countries, particularly Venezuela, where America gets most of its foreign
oil, and Panama, of crucial importance because of the Panama Canal.
Colombia has become an exporter of unrest, violence and illegal drugs.

Given Mr. Bush's understanding of the importance and potential of Latin
America, the president must help Colombia combat its narco-terrorists. The
first step is to put together the best team possible to address the
challenges. Not only are the people Bill Clinton put in place at odds with
Mr. Bush's foreign policy vision, they have proven themselves short-sighted
and quite incompetent.

The first to go must be Rand Beers, assistant secretary of state for
international narcotics and law-enforcement, and Anne W. Patterson, U.S.
ambassador to Colombia. Under Mr. Beers' leadership, the United States
often failed to send the Colombians crucial protective gear (such as
helmets), or sent faulty equipment, such as old ammunition, that imperiled
the lives of officers and soldiers on the front lines of the drug war. This
is no way to win friends down south, particularly since U.S. drug
consumption is fueling so many of the country's problems. Mr. Beers is now
advocating sending Colombia helicopters that were already rejected by
Mexico as too damaged and unsafe to fly.

More importantly, though, Mr. Beers has misled Congress on a number of
Colombia-related issues. Most recently, during a congressional hearing on
March 2, Mr. Beers touted a $29 million spare parts contract for Colombian
Black Hawk helicopters that he said the State Department was signing that
very day. But when congressional staffers checked up on the claim, they
found that the State Department hadn't contacted the contractor at all.
When they notified the State Department with their finding, Mr. Beers'
staff claimed their boss never made such a claim, contradicting hearing
records. This is but one example of a pattern of misinformation.

The U.S. embassy in Colombia, meanwhile, has supported allocating much of
the $1.3 billion U.S. aid for Colombia towards that country's military,
while the police, which have a much better drug-eradication and human
rights record, were allocated a mere $120 million. Although the military
desperately needs U.S. training and financial assistance, U.S. economic
support should be focused primarily on fortifying the rule of law in
Colombia by aiding the police and backing judicial reform.

Not only would this approach be more effective, it would be more humane as
well. The Colombian military remains a bumbling force that causes damage as
often as it responds to problems. America's ability to help is limited, but
it should at least put its money in the right place and its best people
forward. Colombian lives and hemispheric stability are at stake.