VOTERS PROMISED WAR ON METH, ECONOMIC FIX

OWENSBORO - Heading into western Kentucky and a showdown with Ben Chandler,
Republican Ernie Fletcher on Friday promised a new attack on a particular
scourge of the region - the illicit trade in methamphetamine - if elected
governor.

Fletcher, the 6th District Congressman, proposed an enforcement initiative
showcasing his running mate, Steve Pence, a former U.S. attorney with
experience prosecuting "meth" cases.

Elsewhere, Chandler courted labor votes at the annual Building and Trades
Labor Luncheon in Paducah, blaming Fletcher and other national Republicans
for a federal budget deficit and mounting job losses in the weak economy.
Chandler, the state's attorney general, has been pounding the national
economy theme for several days.

The two rivals are to go head to head today at the 123rd Fancy Farm Picnic
in Graves County, the ceremonial kickoff to the general election campaign.

Fletcher said Pence would be the administration point man on drug
enforcement if the slate wins in November. A key part of their proposal is
to get more federal prosecution of cases involving the manufacture or
trafficking of methamphetamine, regardless of quantity.

Promises of a war on drugs, even with local, state and federal authorities
joining in, are nothing new. "But we must have better coordination, and I
believe we need better leadership in Frankfort," Fletcher said.

Pence, who was the chief federal prosecutor for western Kentucky before
becoming Fletcher's running mate for lieutenant governor, said it was his
policy as U.S. attorney to take on any meth trafficking or manufacture
case. He said federal prosecution is more likely to result in jail time,
even for a first-time offender.

Pence and Fletcher also promised to give local law enforcement agencies
more resources for fighting drugs - redirecting money from elsewhere in
state government if necessary. But Fletcher said federal grant money is
available and that he and Pence would be better able to appeal from help
from Kentucky's mostly Republican congressional delegation and the Bush
administration.

Chandler's campaign said Fletcher was being hypocritical. A campaign
spokeswoman said the budget for which Fletcher voted actually reduced
funding for a Clinton administration program that put more police officers
on the street. The spokeswoman, Susan Dixen, said Fletcher "says one thing
in Kentucky and does another thing in Washington."

Fletcher's spokesman, Wes Irvin, said he could not immediately get access
to federal budget figures so he could not confirm or rebut Dixen's comment.
But Irvin said Chandler, as attorney general, could have done more about
the methamphetamine problem.

Chandler has spent most of the week in western Kentucky, an area of
mounting job losses from factory closings. His ideas for the region include
some major road projects, including the proposed Interstate 66 across
southern Kentucky and a complete four-laning of "Highway 68-80" - U.S. 68
and Ky. 80 - including new bridges over Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake.