FOLLY IN COLOMBIA

The demands of an all-out war on terrorism do not seem to have imposed a
sense of priorities on U.S. policy-makers, who act as if this country can
conduct numerous vaguely defined wars on numerous fronts without losing
focus. The latest evidence is an apparent intensification of U.S.
involvement in the ongoing civil war and drug war in Colombia.

One of the last acts of the Clinton administration was to authorize $1.3
billion in aid and equipment for the Colombian government, which is
fighting a war against drug traffickers that is inextricably linked to a
civil war that has plagued the country for at least 40 years. Despite
warnings from Latin American experts that this would get the United States
involved in Colombia's domestic politics, the Clintonites pushed ahead.

The Bush administration gave signals early on that it would reconsider this
commitment, but it's not pulling back.

A couple of weeks ago, U.S. Ambassador to Colombia Anne Patterson turned
over 14 Black Hawk helicopters to the Colombian military. "We will continue
working together to liberate Colombia, the region and the hemisphere from
narcotics," she declared.

Sure. That will happen about the same time the war on terror eliminates
evil from the world for all time. Unfortunately, U.S. taxpayers will
continue to pay for this exercise in folly in Colombia.