ASHCROFT KEEPS MUM OVER PRESIDENTIAL BID

U.S. Sen. John Ashcroft sounded like a presidential candidate during a Tuesday morning visit to Cape Girardeau even though he won't publicly announce his political plans until Jan. 5.

Ashcroft kicked off a two-day, eight-city tour of his home state of Missouri at the Cape Girardeau Federal Building.

The Republican senator from Springfield met behind closed doors with law enforcement officials, prosecutors, state legislators and others to discuss the methamphetamine problem plaguing the state and nation.

He then held a news conference on the steps of the Federal Building. Despite freezing temperatures, Ashcroft held the press conference outside because cameras aren't permitted in the building.

Ashcroft praised a new state law that allows him to run for both president and re-election to the Senate at the same time.

Under the state law, Ashcroft can wait to file for re-election to the Senate until after he wins or loses the Republican presidential nomination.

Ashcroft said the law gives "flexibility to the political process."

Ashcroft is using his statewide stops to tout his four-part legislative agenda that deals with crime, tax cuts, education and saving Social Security.

At the Federal Building, Ashcroft decried the evils of methamphetamine.

"Methamphetamine constitutes a major challenge to personal security across this country," he said.

He said the drug destroys people who use it and leads such addicts to commit heinous and violent crimes.

Ashcroft talked about steps that Congress has taken to help law enforcement officials win the meth war.

"Prison terms were made more severe. Funding for law enforcement was increased significantly. Congress approved a lifetime ban on any use of public housing by makers of meth," Ashcroft said.

Congress approved almost $70 million for anti-drug programs this year, a 54 percent increase over last year, he said.

While progress has been made in the fight against methamphetamine, Ashcroft said more needs to be done.

"Doing better is not enough," said Ashcroft.

Congress needs to pass legislation to help prosecutors expedite cases against meth lab operators he said.

Ashcroft said changes are needed at the state level too.

State officials need to listen to the concerns of rural counties and see to it that federal anti-meth money is distributed fairly, Ashcroft said in a report to his 42-member crime and violence task force. The October report was released to reporters at the news conference.

Sgt. Kevin Glaser, who heads the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, attended the law enforcement meeting with Ashcroft.

Glaser said later that he urged Ashcroft to fight any effort in Congress to redirect money from drug-arrest confiscations.

The money now goes to law enforcement efforts such as the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force. The task force in recent years has focused almost exclusively on combating meth.

Glaser said about half of the task force's $300,000 budget comes from such money. The rest comes from a federal grant.

Without such money, the task force would be limited to about three officers, Glaser said.

At stops in Cape Girardeau and later St. Louis, Ashcroft said little about a possible Senate trial on articles of impeachment against President Clinton.

A vocal critic of the president who previously called on Clinton to resign, Ashcroft said in St. Louis that he would reserve judgment for now on the impeachment issue.

He voiced similar views earlier in Cape Girardeau. "I'm not here to discuss the problems of the president," he told reporters.