BUSH BACKS 2-PRONGED ATTACK ON DRUGS

Treatment Included With Enforcement

WASHINGTON -- President Bush, who rolled out his strategy to fight illegal
drugs yesterday, will rely heavily on Asa Hutchinson, his new choice to
head the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Hutchinson, R-Ark., is one of the House managers who unsuccessfully
prosecuted President Clinton in his 1999 impeachment trial before the Senate.

That wasn't the first time Hutchinson prosecuted a member of the Clinton
family. As a U.S. attorney in Arkansas, Hutchinson in 1984 prosecuted
Clinton's brother, Roger, on drug charges. Roger Clinton pleaded guilty to
possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it and was sentenced to
serve two years in prison.

Although the Senate voted against removing Bill Clinton from office,
Hutchinson's efforts caught the eye of Bush, who announced Wednesday the
congressman would head the DEA.

Hutchinson said Bush told him that no one else was considered for the DEA
position.

"This is not something that I asked for," Hutchinson, 50, said in a
statement. "I'm very honored that the president considered me."

White House spokesman Ari Fleisher said Bush chose Hutchinson because he
wanted someone at DEA who was committed to addressing treatment as well as
enforcement.

"The president thinks it's important to do both and he believes the people
he's appointing, Asa Hutchinson in this case, . . . do represent a
willingness to fight the battle on both fronts," Fleisher said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Hutchinson will succeed the acting agency head,
Donnie Marshall.

The DEA is the nation's chief law enforcement agency to combat drug
trafficking in the United States and abroad. The 9,100-employee agency has
a budget of $1.55 billion. It is separate from the Office of Drug Control
Policy, which is a White House-based policy office. Bush yesterday named
veteran anti-drug activist John Walters to that post.

Hutchinson's experience with federal law enforcement stretches back nearly
two decades.

At 31, he became the youngest U.S. attorney in the country in 1982 when
President Reagan appointed him to that job. As a U.S. attorney, Hutchinson
worked closely with DEA agents to build major drug cases.

Hutchinson also has worked on drug policies while in Congress. He serves on
House Speaker Dennis Hastert's Task Force for a Drug-Free America.

He has pushed to boost funding to combat methamphetamine use, chiefly
seeking more money for local law enforcement agencies to destroy
methamphetamine laboratories.

Hutchinson also appealed to Bush because he represents a northwest Arkansas
district, including the Ozarks, that is considered solid Republican. With
the GOP holding a slim majority in the House (10 seats), the party could
ill-afford to lose a Republican from a contested district.