The Political Interest Clinton's Drug Policy Is a Bust

Before crime became Bill Clinton's responsibility, the President's critique of George Bush's performance was scathing and dismissive. "Bush confuses being tough with being smart," Clinton told me during the 1992 campaign, "especially on drugs. You can't get serious about crime without getting serious about drugs. Bush thinks locking up addicts instead of treating them before they commit crimes -- or failing to treat them once they're in prison, which is basically the case now -- is clever politics. That may be, but it certainly isn't sound policy, and the consequences of his cravenness could ruin us."

From that attack, Clinton wound...

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