Clinton drug policy


Bill Clinton wasn't an angel when it came to the Drug War


Rogier van Bakel disagrees with Radley Balko.

The Peter McWilliams affair happened on Clinton's watch — all of it. So did the notorious Todd McCormick case. Those are two I know about off the top of my head. There are hundreds, maybe thousands more, for anyone who cares to tap into Google.

Also, there are some books Radley might want to check for additional facts on how Clinton fought the drug war, including Feeling Your Pain: The Explosion and Abuse of Government Power in the Clinton-Gore Years, James Bovard's libertarian cri de coeur. (For the record, Bovard is no partisan hack, considering he subsequently penned The Bush Betrayal.)

<snip>

Radley is probably right that Clinton, personally, "didn't send federal troops in to shut down clinics or federal SWAT teams to raid peaceful growing operations operating legally under state law," if that's what he meant. But that version of the truth is much too finely parsed for my taste.

Clinton's overall drug policy was an unnecessary, unmitigated disaster, a stain on his presidency many times greater than his consensual hanky-panky with "that woman." His record, for those willing to take an unflinching look at it, reflects that reality in no uncertain terms.

I have my own reasons for disliking and distrusting Bill Clinton. Considering his history in Arkansas, any action he took towards drug enforcement was extremely hypocritical. I usually agree with Mr. Balko, but this time Mr. van Bakel has his facts straight.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Tue - October 10, 2006 at 04:16 AM  Tag


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