Plan Columbia fails - renew it anyway

[CBL4]

From the New York Times via Reason.com:

Five years and $3 billion into the most aggressive counternarcotics operation ever here, American and Colombian officials say they have eradicated a record-breaking million acres of coca plants, yet cocaine remains as available as ever on American streets, perhaps more so.
"It's very disturbing," said a senior State Department official traveling here with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is on a five-day tour of the region.

Colombian traffickers still provide 90 percent of the cocaine used in the United States and 50 percent of the heroin, just as they did five years ago, the government says. "Key indicators of domestic cocaine availability show stable or slightly increased availability in drug markets throughout the country," the White House drug policy office acknowledged in February. Officials added that prices have remained stable and purity has improved.
...
Even with the contradictory results from the first five years, the Bush administration is asking Congress to extend Plan Colombia for at least one more year. The president's budget proposal asks for another $734 million next year on top of the $2.9 billion already spent.
A senior State Department official who is involved in the Colombia program said, "Give us another year or so and see if there is any effect."

At a news conference [in Bogota] on Tuesday, Ms. Rice said Washington had no intention of reassessing the program, adding that such a move would most likely take a long time to see results in the United States...

http://www.reason.com/hitandrun/

 

[Cleon]

*shrug* US policy is like the old saying: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Plan Colombia, the war on drugs, the embargo of Cuba, just doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result...

 

[Charlie Monoxide]

The GOP in charge should show their true colors and legalize all illegal drugs. Let people grow/produce and sell legally. It'll be the best 'business' decision they made.

Have a tax and a distribution system similar to tobacco/alcohol (no kiddies please).

Start giving prison guards pink slips and growing guides.

Charlie (be patriotic, buy only US dope) Monoxide

 

[Art Vandelay]

Anyone else expect this to be a thread about the space program?

 

[CBL4]

Start giving prison guards pink slips and growing guides.

The prison guards and prison builders strongly lobby for harsher sentencing. I wonder why?

CBL