GRASSLEY ASKS BUSH TO FIRE NATION'S DRUG CZAR

John Walters Has Not Done Enough To Fight Meth, The Senator Says

Washington, D.C. -- In a rare slap at a top administration official,
Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa called Wednesday for
President Bush to fire the nation's drug czar, John Walters.

Grassley has been critical of Walters for some time, saying he has
not acted fast enough to combat the rising use of methamphetamine,
which is more prevalent in the West and Midwest than in other parts
of the nation.

Grassley, a senior member of the Senate generally loyal to Bush
administration policy, is the chairman of the Senate Caucus on
International Narcotics Control. He held a hearing Tuesday on the
impact of meth on the child welfare system.

In a conference call with Iowa reporters, Grassley said: "I think the
president ought to fire the drug czar." He said that he wrote Walters
calling for more action on meth, and that the response he received
was "basically, bureaucratic mumbo jumbo."

Walters and the Office of National Drug Control Policy continue to
place much more emphasis on fighting marijuana use, said Grassley.

"Marijuana obviously is a very big drug problem, particularly with
the more pure marijuana that's out there now," Grassley said. "But
the mind-altering aspects of meth are just tremendous, and the change
of personality that comes, and the danger of it that comes,
particularly when it's domestically made."

Tom Riley, a spokesman for Walters, said the administration has taken
the meth problem very seriously and will in the next few weeks roll
out a multipart strategy for dealing with it. Teen drug use overall
is down, and meth use among teens is declining as well, Riley said.

Yet "methamphetamine remains a very serious problem," he said. "The
administration's commitment has been very strong on this."

Iowa law enforcement officials say meth is more often in the
headlines in Iowa, and is more addictive and dangerous than
marijuana. But they also say that marijuana is the most-used illegal
drug in Iowa, and that a potent form of it is catching on even among children.

Grassley and the drug czar have been feuding for months, and the
tension escalated recently behind the scenes over the appointment of
a deputy in the drug control office.

Bush in July 2005 nominated Bertha Madras as deputy director for
demand reduction at the agency. But in late October, Grassley put a
"hold" on the nomination, a Senate procedure that stops a nomination
or action on legislation. While most holds are secret, Grassley makes
a policy of disclosing his holds.

"I have taken this action because there are a number of outstanding
issues regarding the activities and operation of the Office of
National Drug Policy that should be resolved before considering this
nomination," Grassley said at the time. He said the hold had nothing
to do with Madras' qualifications.

However, on April 19, while the Senate was in recess, Bush trumped
Grassley and made what is known as a "recess appointment" of Madras
to the post, which means she now will serve until the end of the
current session of Congress.

But Grassley aides say the Iowa Republican's unhappiness stems from
more than pique over that episode. They provided copies of more than
50 pages of letters exchanged between Grassley and the drug policy
agency, including a series of bipartisan complaints from Grassley and
Rep. Joe Biden, D-Del., beginning in October about community
anti-drug coalitions that lost their grants without notice or were
put on probation.

Grassley and Biden in February again expressed their "grave concerns"
for the way grant selection was handled, their request for an
unbiased appeals process, and their "continued frustration by the
lack of progress being made on this request."

Walters, in a return letter, defended the process and said some of
the denied applicants had been reinstated. Grassley has also asked
for a U.S. Government Accountability Office investigation into the issue.

On meth, Walters has told Grassley that the agency has had numerous
staff appearances, media interviews, town hall meetings and other
presentations on problems with the drug, including trips to Iowa.
Walters also defended administration resources devoted to meth.