Chuck Grassley: “I have had a number of things to say lately about leadership and moral posture. I have mentioned these issues several…”

“I have had a number of things to say lately about leadership and moral posture. I have mentioned these issues several times on this floor in the past few days. I wish to draw the attention of my colleagues to an example of what a void in clear leadership and guidance means. It illustrates what we might call the trickle down defect. When there is uncertain leadership, when leaders are unclear on their true intent, their irresoluteness trickles down. Nowhere is this effect easier to detect than in this administration's drug policy. From almost the first day of this administration there have been mixed signals and muddled directions about our drug policy. While the words have pointed in one direction, actions have gone off in every direction. The only thing that has been constant has been inconsistency. One of the best examples of that was the President's move to fire most of the people in the drug czar's office just after his inauguration. That office was then not supported. The drug issue fell off the agenda. The President called 'time out' in the war on drugs. Lately, the administration is moving to restore personnel to the drug czar's office. I am sure there is no connection between that move and the fact that this is an election year. Miraculously and suddenly, the President has learned what the American people have known all along.”