DRUGS

In the darkest days of the Vietnam war, cynical idealists proposed that the
United States simply declare victory and withdraw.

Their belief that no one would notice a defeat unless a press release
announced one ultimately proved unsound. But it was a lot better than the
position of U.S. drug czar General Barry McCaffrey, who says he doesn't
like to use the phrase "war on drugs" because "normally in a war you
achieve total victory," whereas in this case the best that can be done is
to reduce drug abusers to three per cent of the U.S. population.

Declaring victory and withdrawing may not have made much sense, but isn't
it worse to admit defeat and stay on?

Copyright 1998 The Ottawa Citizen

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski