Gil Kerlikowske, Drug Czar

I've been trying to figure out why President Obama :D picked Seattle's own Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske to be the new drug czar. I love Seattle, but let's be honest: we're a third-tier city at best. Not that policing Seattle is easy as peas, but we're mellow compared to LA or New York. Why not pick someone running a police force in someplace that's a little more...hard core?

Then again, President Obama :D isn't picking out a new king of police, he's appointing a (presumably) progressively-minded person to manage US drug policy.

Ok then - Seattle has plenty of drugs, so Chief Kerlikowske has had plenty of practice. Is he going to make the world a better place for all of us or will is be the same old "war on drugs" as usual? We are the city of Hempfest and needle exchanges. And there's the fact that jaywalking is a higher priority to the SPD than an adult smoking marijuana.

Dominic Holden of The Stranger thinks Kerlikowske's cool, and the PI says that drug-law reformers are cautiously optimistic about him. Our drug-czar-to-be isn't a radical reformer, nor is he terribly vocal on the subject of drug law, but he did let a whole lot of reforms go forward under his watch. Which is probably just what Obama is looking for: quietly and intelligently progressive. Here's hoping it works out that way on the national level.