Pubdate: Thu, 06 Jul 2000
Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (AR)
Copyright: 2000 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.
Contact:  121 East Capitol Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72201
Website: http://www.ardemgaz.com/
Forum: http://www.ardemgaz.com/info/voices.html
Author: Doug Thompson

HUTCHINSON STRESSES WEIGHT OF NEXT ELECTION AT STUDENT CONFERENCE

FAYETTEVILLE -- The next election will be a watershed for all three 
branches of the federal government, U.S. Rep. Asa Hutchinson of Fort Smith 
told high school students Wednesday.

The election to choose the successor to President Clinton "will decide who 
will appoint the swing votes on the U.S. Supreme Court, while control of 
the legislative branch is up in the air," Hutchinson said.

The next president will probably fill at least two vacancies over the next 
four years as sitting members of the court retire, he said.

Hutchinson, a Republican, pointed to recent 5-4 Supreme Court decisions, 
including the court's rejection of a Nebraska law banning an abortion 
procedure and the court's rejection of prayer led by students before school 
athletic events in Texas.

The congressman was speaking to a group of at least 30 high school students 
attending the Fulbright School of Public Affairs, a three-week program at 
the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Republicans will lose their majority in the House if six GOP seats go to 
Democrats without offsetting gains for the GOP candidates. The majority 
party picks House committee chairmen, so that party can control the flow of 
legislation.

"Control of the Congress is at stake, and it's at risk," Hutchinson said.

Foreign policy will become a major issue in the presidential election, 
Hutchinson said, because of the importance of issues facing the United 
States that involve other countries. These issues include redefining "our 
relationship to Mexico," he said, since the political party that held power 
for 71 years there was defeated in Sunday's election. Real change in border 
issues such as illegal immigration from Mexico and drug trafficking is 
possible, he said.

"Nationalistic zeal in Mexico has prevented any cooperation with the United 
States to the point that federal Drug Enforcement Agency agents in Mexico 
are not allowed to wear guns," Hutchinson said. "Believe me, if you're a 
DEA agent in Mexico, you don't want to do much work without firearms."

Congress' approval of a $1.3-billion aid package to Colombia will cause 
controversy, Hutchinson predicted. The package includes military aid to 
fight illegal drug activities that finance some rebel groups.

"I supported aid to Colombia," Hutchinson said, because "I don't want to 
see the oldest democracy in South America go under."

Students asked Hutchinson about student-led prayer. "I think it's a bad 
decision," said Hutchinson of the court's ruling.

The U.S. Constitution's First Amendment prohibits Congress from enacting 
laws that establish a religion, but recent court decisions have crossed the 
line from being neutral on religion into being hostile toward it, 
Hutchinson said. "On religion, the same amendment goes on to say 'nor 
prohibit the free exercise thereof,' " Hutchinson said.

Asked why he did not draw an opponent in this year's election, Hutchinson 
said his ability to build a war chest of election funds must have been a 
factor. Members of Congress "get criticized for building a war chest, but 
its not the grassroots opponent we're worried about," he said. "It's the 
Corzines of the world." Retired Wall Street financier Jon Corzine spent $33 
million, much of it from his own money, in a successful Democratic primary 
race for senator from New Jersey, his first political race.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart