I Wonder Why, Senator

The War on Drugs continues to put the lives of millions of Americans in danger because it distracts resources from the War on Terror. From The Hill:

At the request of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the government's watchdog arm conducted undercover operations to test radiation detection equipment installed at several ports around the country. While the technology works, undercover Government Accountability Office investigators using fake documents still passed the border crossings with enough material to build [two "dirty" nuclear bombs].

"I am alarmed that undercover investigators were able to smuggle in enough radioactive material to detonate two dirty bombs on American soil," said Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), chairman of the subcommittee. "The reality is that it is easier to buy low-grade radioactive material for a dirty bomb than it is to buy cold medicine."

Of course, the Senate spent months debating how to regulate the sell of cold medicine to prevent it from being used to make methamphetamine. This time could have been spent debating how to protect our ports. And the final cold medicine regulations, which will require law-abiding Americans to show ID and sign a log book to buy cold medicine, will waste scarce law enforcement resources. Even selling cold medicine in a 7-11 will require the Justice Department to certify that employees have been properly trained. An agency that should be monitoring our ports will now be wasting its time monitoring convenience marts. Thanks, Senator Coleman.