After weeks of rumblings, federal drug czar William Bennett last week unveiled an $80 million emergency plan for an assault on the drug-and-murder epidemic in Washington. But the proposal looked more like an outline for a skirmish than for an all-out offensive.
Bennett snubbed Washington's embattled local government by failing to invite any of its representatives to the press conference at which the plan was announced. He went on to castigate the administration of Mayor Marion Barry, saying it "has failed to serve its citizens." Finally, he disclosed a set of measures that may put more dealers behind bars but is...