U.S. DRUG CZAR, AIDE FACE METH CRITICISM

Policy - A Republican Congressman Calls For The Aide To Resign After
A Briefing On Efforts To Curtail The Drug

WASHINGTON -- The chairman of a House panel that oversees drug policy
on Wednesday called for the resignation of a top aide to White House
drug czar John Walters, and he came close to demanding that Walters
step down as well.

Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., spoke after a closed-door briefing in which
Bush administration officials described their efforts to halt the
spread of methamphetamine abuse.

Souder, chairman of the House committee that authorizes the
activities of Walters' office, called the presentation "pathetic" and
"an embarrassment." He said officials seemed more interested in
defending the status quo than developing a meaningful national meth strategy.

"If they continue to defend the way they're going," he said, "it's
time for some of the top people to resign."

Souder said later in an interview that he specifically wanted the
resignation of Dave Murray, a Walters adviser, who led the briefing.
But Souder also suggested Walters should go, as well.

"Clearly, if he does not lead, we need a change of the drug czar,"
Souder said. He added later, "If Director Walters and anyone else in
that office agrees with what was said today, they should resign."

Murray, who was at the news conference, declined to comment
extensively afterward.

"We had an interesting discussion roundtable with them," Murray said.
"I thought it was pretty productive."

Ken Lisaius, a White House spokesman, said the administration
"continues to have faith in Director Walters and his effort to
continue to address the drug issues that our nation faces. He will
continue to work on the part of the federal government and this
administration to address those issues."

Souder and others from districts with large meth problems have
repeatedly criticized the administration's effort to deal with the
illicit drug, but his latest remarks were his strongest attack yet.

It comes a year after the Bush administration unveiled its National
Synthetic Drugs Action Plan, a sweeping blueprint for curtailing the
use of meth and its production. The administration's plan described
in a wide array of directions for U.S. policy -- from working
internationally to curb the illicit trade in pseudoephedrine, meth's
main ingredient, to improved treatment.

But the availability of meth on the street has only grown since then.
The purity of meth nationally continued to rise, as it has since
1999, and is now at its highest level in a decade, The Oregonian
found in a recent analysis of DEA data.

Members of the bipartisan House Methamphetamine Caucus say the White
House has failed to turn its meth plan into a workable strategy that
includes new policy initiatives or measurable goals. The lawmakers
have attacked the administration for proposing budget cuts to local
drug task forces this year and have accused Walters' office of
downplaying the threat that meth poses.

Wednesday's meeting, attended by about 20 House members, featured
officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, he Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the State Department.

Administration officials outlined success stories in the fight
against meth, such as a sharp reduction in the number of "superlabs"
operated by Mexican traffickers in the United States, according to
people who attended.

The administration officials also discussed promising treatment
techniques, and they said cooperation had improved with Hong Kong,
Mexico and other countries where drug cartels obtain pseudoephedrine.

But participants said the officials did not request any additional
help from Congress at a time when meth continues to flow into towns
across the country.

"We already are aware of what the administration is doing," said Rick
Larsen, D-Wash., a co-chair of the Meth Caucus. "We're not convinced
it is part of a full, comprehensive strategy with the right amount of
resources."

Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash., one of the founders of the caucus, said
administration officials seemed out of touch with the problems that
House members are hearing back home from sheriffs and the children of
meth users.

"The official message was, 'We are doing a great deal about
methamphetamine right now,' " Baird said.

"If they're trying to tell us that they have fully grasped the
problem and are responding to the problem proportionally to its
impact on our communities, then they're either dissembling, or
they're clueless," he said.

Souder's lack of confidence in the drug czar's office carries
repercussions. At the extreme, Souder said, his committee has the
authority to write legislation naming who should fill each position
in Walters' office.

The more likely course, however, is less drastic. Souder said he has
been unwilling so far to micromanage the activities of the office,
allowing Walters to set priorities internally. But now, Souder said,
he is willing to start directing specific action on meth.

"I don't trust the director's office to make the decisions anymore,"
Souder said.

Lisaius, the White House spokesman, said the administration
recognizes the "critical threat posed by meth." Citing the Synthetic
Drugs Action Plan, he said the White House is actively working to
address the problem.

"Meth is undeniably a uniquely destructive drug," Lisaius said, "and
it brings with it a litany of problems that need to be dealt with at
all levels."