PLAIN TALK ABOUT DRUG WAR

How it escaped Washington's notice is no surprise. Nobody wants to
admit that this country can't solve its bottomless urge for illegal
drugs - or that this appetite causes murder and mayhem in other countries.

That's why Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's remarks on the
Mexican drug war have drawn gasps. She spoke the obvious, hard truth
when it comes to Mexico's bloody conflict, which has left 7,000 dead
in the last 15 months.

This string of assassinations, beheadings and bombings is due to "our
insatiable demand for illegal drugs," she said. Clinton hit another
raw nerve: The killings also are linked to "our inability to prevent
weapons from being illegally smuggled" across the border by criminals
taking advantage of lax gun laws at U.S. border-town gun shops.

The United States is both creating and arming the drug gangs, whose
deadly work is spreading northward across the border, she suggested.
"How could anyone conclude differently?" she said. "I feel very
strongly we have co-responsibility."

In the diplomatic world, where differences are finessed with
sanded-down words like "frank" or "cordial," Clinton's remarks are
blunt, unambiguous and entirely welcome.

She went on to indicate an even tougher challenge. Outside of
legalization - which won't fly in present-day Washington - what
approach makes sense in cutting drug use? For 30 years, dating back to
the feckless "Just Say No" program headlined by Nancy Reagan, the
United States has struggled to find an answer.

The best Clinton could do was hint at a change from the costly and
unsuccessful interdiction program built on law enforcement crackdowns
and seized shipments. The new policy, emphasized in several think-tank
papers, is to work on the receiving end of the problem in the United
States. That will likely mean a concerted drive in this country to
educate users on drug dangers and programs to rehabilitate and counsel
addicts. Deprive dealers of customers and drug supplies will diminish,
the argument goes.

There's a second message in Clinton's words. Washington is ready for a
new relationship with Mexico, one that swaps stereotypes for practical
results.

Over the past months, Mexico was assailed as a "failed state," the
ultimate diplomatic slap, because its corrupt government was
overwhelmed by drug gangs.

This talk has infuriated Mexican leaders including President Felipe
Calderon, who has deployed the army to maintain order and staked his
career on the results.

By speaking up about American drug use, Clinton is acknowledging the
scope of the problem and reconnecting with a neighbor, ally and major
trading partner.