CLUELESS IN COLOMBIA

The demands of an all-out war on terrorism do not seem to have imposed a
sense of priorities or proportion on U.S. policy-makers, who act as if they
believe 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 under the Clinton administration was to authorize $1.3
billion in aid and equipment for the Colombian government, which is
fighting a war against narcotraffickers that is inextricably linked to a
civil war that has plagued the country for at least 40 years. Despite
warnings from numerous Latin American experts that this would inevitably
get the U.S. involved in Colombian 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.

Last week, U.S. Ambassador to Colombia Anne Patterson turned over 14
helicopters to the Colombian military. "We will continue working together
to liberate Colombia, the region and the hemisphere from narcotics,"
Patterson bravely 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.