Amidst the inauguration fanfare, we failed to notice that Obama immediately appointed ONDCPâs general counsel Ed Jurith to serve as acting director, i.e. drug czar. You can read Jurithâs bio here and my thoughts on him here.
This is interesting because itâs a definite improvement over Bushâs last minute appointment of Patrick Ward, another ONDCP insider, to run the office upon John Waltersâs departure. Jurith is hardly a friend of reform on any issue Iâm aware of, but his background is in law, while Ward has been directly and heavily involved in interdiction programs.
With Jurith being the preferable choice, Iâm wondering if Obama actually did this for the right reasons as he looks for a permanent candidate to fill the position. Thatâs impossible to say, but itâs a small step in the right direction. Letâs hope for a bigger one soon.
This is interesting because itâs a definite improvement over Bushâs last minute appointment of Patrick Ward, another ONDCP insider, to run the office upon John Waltersâs departure. Jurith is hardly a friend of reform on any issue Iâm aware of, but his background is in law, while Ward has been directly and heavily involved in interdiction programs.
With Jurith being the preferable choice, Iâm wondering if Obama actually did this for the right reasons as he looks for a permanent candidate to fill the position. Thatâs impossible to say, but itâs a small step in the right direction. Letâs hope for a bigger one soon.
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