ISSA COVERS DRUG POLICY, CLINTON SEX SCANDAL

Sacramento -- Darrell Issa, the car alarm manufacturer who is seeking the
GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, called Tuesday for beefed-up drug
enforcement at the Mexican border and stiffer penalties for criminals
selling drugs to minors.

After what was billed as his first major policy speech, the neophyte
campaigner managed to quickly upstage his drug-war proposals with an
off-the-cuff remark that his wife thinks President Clinton is "a slut."

Issa, who seeks to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, told the
Sacramento business audience he would not favor impeaching Clinton in the
wake of the White House sex scandal. "My wife, she always calls him a slut,
that's her term," he said. "And I will not disagree with my wife publicly."

However, most of Issa's speech to the Comstock Club focused on criticizing
Clinton's drug-fighting policies. Issa said the administration has
allowed the war on drugs "to languish for too long without a plan for
winning it."

"It took America less than four years to win World War II, yet Bill Clinton
is content to wait twice as long to erase his own record of failure," said
Issa, who cited a study showing illegal drug use among middle schoolers in
28 states has doubled since 1992.

As for his plan, he said he would support more funding for customs agents
and Border Patrol intelligence operations, build an "electronic fence"
using military satellite technology, and increase assistance for law
enforcement agencies in drug-producing countries.

To punish suppliers and users in the United States, Issa:

- - Proposed a minimum sentence of 20 years-to-life for those convicted of
selling illegal drugs to children

- - Announced support for a Senate bill to make the penalties for powder
cocaine as severe as those for crack

- - Called for sentencing users to tough treatment programs

"Right now, we're talking about what we're going to do with tobacco because
they target our kids. What are we going to do with drug dealers that
target our kids?" Issa asked.

The multimillionaire businessman criticized Boxer's voting record on
drug-dealer penalties and redirecting funds from interdiction to prevention
programs.

"It seems Barbara Boxer is more concerned with saving dolphins from Mexican
fisherman than saving children from drug cartels," Issa said.

Boxer campaign manager Roy Behr said: "Issa has greatly misstated Barbara
Boxer's positions. She has voted six times for the death penalty of drug
kingpins . . . and increased resources for stopping drugs at the borders."

Behr also called Issa "an extremist" for failing to support Clinton's
executive order earlier this week to add 58 weapons to the federal assault
weapons ban. Issa said the order doesn't identify illegal weapons "in a
clear way. When the Senate acts to touch one of the 10 bill of rights . .
.you've got to be very, very careful and you have to touch in a way that is
extremely clear."

State treasurer Matt Fong, Issa's key rival for the GOP Senate nomination,
said through a spokesman that he does not support Clinton's order. Rep.
Frank Riggs, Issa's other GOP opponent, did not return phone calls.

On Tuesday, Issa also called for "huge reform" of the nation's legal
immigration policies, including increasing the number of "permits that
allow skilled (workers) or maybe even just people like nannies to come here
on a temporary basis to work to fill voids."

He added "It's insane that San Jose and Santa Clara and other high-areas
are exporting huge amounts of jobs, both skilled and unskilled, because
they don't have enough engineers."