Seattle Police chief Gil Kerlikowske appears to be a good choice for this job. One thing he’ll have to deal with immediately is the violent, out-of-control drug war in Mexico that is spilling over into the U.S. That should be one of his top priorities.
By Chris Cilliza
Washington Post
WASHINGTON — President Obama will name Gil Kerlikowske as the nation’s drug czar today, ending a long search that slowed as details of drug arrests involving Kerlikowske’s stepson came to light earlier this year.
The Obama administration will remove the job’s Cabinet designation — reversing an elevation of the office made during the presidency of George W. Bush — although one senior administration official insisted Kerlikowske would have “full access and a direct line to the president and the vice president.”
The source also noted that Vice President Biden was instrumental in the creation of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and would continue to be an outspoken advocate on the issue. (Further details on the nomination in a Post story by The Fix.)
Kerlikowske, who is currently the chief of police in Seattle, Washington, has long been speculated to be the frontrunner to serve as the drug czar. But, revelations concerning the arrests of his stepson, Jeffrey, on drug-related charges complicated the process and led some to draw unfavorable comparisons to the film “Traffic” in which the daughter of the man entrusted with overseeing the nation’s drug policy spirals into dependency.
