COLOMBIA: THE DRUG WAR

Another Washington mystery may have been solved. If a Newsweek story is
accurate, the flip-flop by President Clinton on the drug war in Colombia
can be attributed to a factor that almost always a major role in this
administration's decisions: domestic politics.

Last summer, the White House seemed oblivious to the raging war in
Colombia, although some members in Congress were aching for action in the
form of U.S. aid.

Then the pollsters came.

Mark Mellman, Democratic pollster, told Clinton that the public was likely
to blame Democrats for a perceived increase in drug use, Newsweek said.

The pollster said a majority of the people would support greatly increased
funding for efforts to cut off drugs at the source.

Thereafter, Clinton announced a $1.3 billion aid package for Colombia.
Predictably, it soon began to swell and now is at $9 billion, with funds
for Kosovo and other items included.

But the situation in Colombia is murky. U.S. Sen. Bob Graham of Florida,
who visited there recently, said the drug lords and insurgent guerrillas
are so intermixed it is difficult to tell them apart.

Others insist the primary problem is demand, not supply. Americans want
illegal drugs, so Colombia supplies them.

Politicians and journalists who oppose the drug industry in Colombia
routinely are murdered. At times the country appears to be near anarchy,
and it is questionable whether aid from the United States would have much
effect.

The other danger is that intervention might lead to direct involvement by
U.S. military personnel, who could end up in the middle of a civil war.

Caution and careful consideration of the potential benefits and
consequences of U.S. involvement in Colombia are needed, not knee-jerk
responses to public opinion polls.