Pubdate: Fri, 09 Mar 2001
Source: Scripps Howard News Service (US)
Section: Washington Dateline
Copyright: 2001 Scripps Howard
Author: Scripps Howard News Service
Note: See second and tenth segment

VEEP NAME GAME -- 'TRAFFIC' TIP -- CAPITOL COMEDY

Speculation is rife over possible replacements for Vice President Dick 
Cheney should he be forced to retire because of persistent heart problems.

The leading candidate in GOP circles is the man who reportedly was 
President Bush's first choice for the job - Secretary of State Colin 
Powell, who bowed to his wife's wishes and demurred. But there's a 
difference, some note, between campaigning for the job and having it handed 
to you.

Also mentioned is Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, originally passed over 
because of his position in favor of abortion rights, and former Sen. Slade 
Gorton, R-Wash.

X...X...X

President Bush is considering lowering the profile of the White House drug 
enforcement office against the advice of former Republican drug enforcement 
director Bill Bennett.

Bennett is getting some support from The Lindesmith Center, a New York drug 
policy organization that supports treatment, rather than punishment, for 
drug abusers.

Lindesmith's executive director, Ethan Nadelmann, says Bush should take a 
look at the Hollywood movie "Traffic" and appoint someone like the hero 
played by Michael Douglas who will "think outside the box" and adopt new 
policies of deterrence to keep drug-abusers out of jail.

X...X...X

Here's another Internet first: A Web campaign designed to lobby the White 
House to reappoint an ambassador.

A California businessman set up the site to boost the prospects of James 
Rosapepe staying on as ambassador to Romania.

This cyber-effort did not go over well at the State Department, where such 
matters are commonly handled with discretion. So Rosapepe backers prevailed 
on the businessman to take down the site.

X...X...X

It's beginning to look like the FBI nabbed suspected Russian spy Robert 
Hanssen just in time. FBI records indicate that at the time of his arrest 
Hanssen was five weeks from being able to claim a $60,000-a-year pension.

Now, says Rep. Scott McInnis, R-Colo., there's a debate in the FBI whether 
to let him claim the pension for his family. McInnis is leading the fight 
to prevent the pension from being collected.

"One does not reward one of the worst spies in the history of this 
country," McInnis said.

X...X...X

It wasn't long ago that the U.S. was bashing Serbia for helping Saddam 
Hussein rebuild Iraqi air defenses hammered by American missiles during 
1999's Operation Desert Fox. Word comes now that at least some in the upper 
ranks of Yugoslavia's military want the Iraqi leader gone as much as they 
wanted the ouster of their own dictator, Slobodan Milosevic.

During last month's missile attack on Iraqi military sites, high-level 
Yugoslav officers gave Britain - which joined the U.S. in the barrage - 
handy intelligence on the expert assistance previously provided to the 
Iraqis. Milosevic's replacement - Yugoslav president Vojislav Kostunica - 
reportedly went ballistic when he heard about the help and ordered a probe 
to find the source.

X...X...X

The weathermen - especially climate change researchers - who hang out at 
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration /National Weather 
Service are waiting to see which way the wind's going to be blowing for 
them in the Bush administration.

While the far-flung agency has a lot of good will in Congress, the global 
warming undertones so embraced by former Vice President Al Gore are 
unpopular with administration conservatives.

X...X...X

Got a mouse and an Internet connection? You have everything you need to 
apply for a federal student grant or loan. The Department of Education has 
updated its online Free Application for Federal Student Aid. You can apply 
for Pell Grants, which range from $400 to $3,300, or Federal Supplemental 
Educational Opportunity Grants ranging from $100 to $4,000. Just direct 
your browser to http://www.ed.gov.

X...X...X

It's only now coming out that Americans should thank the U.S. Customs 
Service for its Valentine's Day gift to America. Customs' computer systems 
badly needed updating and other work, but the service delayed it until 
after Feb. 14 so as not to throw a thorn in the delivery of tons of flowers 
arriving at U.S. airports from overseas, bound for florists and bouquets.

X...X...X

Who's the funniest woman on Capitol Hill? Rep. Anne Northup, R-Ky., 
according to the Marshalls' Women In Comedy Festival. Northup won the 
distinction by submitting the wittiest political joke in a contest among 
the nation's women lawmakers. The winner was chosen by a committee that 
included comedian Paula Poundstone.

Northup's winning entry: Two politicians are holding a debate when one 
suddenly shouts, "You're lying!" To this, the other responds, "I know, but 
hear me out."

X...X...X

To tell if a youth is going to smoke pot, look at his friends and their 
attitudes, suggests a national study by the Substance Abuse and Mental 
Health Services Administration.

The study found the odds of youths aged 12 to 17 using marijuana in the 
past year were 39 times higher among those who had at least a few close 
friends who tried or used marijuana than among those who did not have such 
friends.

The odds of 12- to 17-year-olds using marijuana in the past year were 16 
times higher among adolescents who thought their friends would not be 
"very" upset if they tried marijuana once or twice than among those whose 
friends felt differently.

On the other side of the coin, a "just say no" attitude among friends can 
inhibit drug use, the study found.

X...X...X

Since 1996, the U.S. Department of Transportation has had legal authority 
to regulate interstate moving companies, but has done little to curb 
consumer complaints about overcharges and damaged goods, auditors say.

About 1.5 million households use commercial firms for interstate moves each 
year, and local Better Business Bureaus are getting many of the complaints, 
a study found. The department should be leading a public education campaign 
about the best ways to deal with moving companies and address complaints 
about service or billing, the congressional General Accounting Office said.

QUOTABLE:

"Would you like to wear a spouse pin?" Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, offering a 
congressional security pass to fiance Liz Mikropoulos of Bellaire, Ohio, 
who initially didn't understand what it meant, but agreed to a May wedding.
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