STRANGE BREW

The Kerry Internet Town Meeting drug war thread has grown to 24 pages and shows no sign of letting up. You still have time to join in the discussion.

There's a debate going on Kerry's hiring of Rand Beers as his top national security advisor. This is a matter of no small concern to reform activists since Beers has been a rabid proponent of prohibition under two administrations and is largely responsible for the inherently inhumane Plan Colombia. Further he coldly dismisses the obviously destructive consequences of the program.

Reports of food crops being poisoned by the spraying are common, as are reports of damage to livestock and humans. But Beers downplayed those reports, and sneeringly rejected claims that peasants needed to grow coca to survive. "An illegal activity is an illegal activity. And one doesn't get a special pass for being poor," he told John Stossel on ABC's 20-20. "They have to recognize that every effort to grow coca will be challenged by the government. Every work effort, every dollar, every pound of sweat that goes in to growing that coca may be lost."

Lost along with their lives, their livestock and their land. His complete ignorance of the generations-old traditional uses of the leaf are disturbing, but such cruel indifference for their welfare is inexcusable.

Beers, who switched hats to become a counterterrorism advisor to President Bush, is credited with inventing the new Bush-bogey man -- the narco-terrorist and is reported to be in line for National Security Advisor or Secretary of State in a Kerry administration. This will present a serious obstacle to the ablility of the reform movement to support Kerry's candidacy. If Kerry wants to engage the progressive Democratic voters, he should reconsider bringing Beers on board.

The voters are restless and are thirsty for a fresh approach. The same stale agenda fronted by a distrusted career bureaucrat will fall flat.