The Drug Dilemma — War or Peace
Epilogue/Proposal by Walter Cronkite, June 20, 1995:
"Every American was shocked when Robert McNamara, one of the master architects of the Vietnam War, acknowledged that not only did he believe the war was, 'wrong, terribly wrong,' but that he thought so at the very time he was helping to wage it. That's a mistake we must not make in this tenth year of America's all-out War on Drugs.
"It's surely time for this nation to stop flying blind, stop accepting the assurances of politicians and other officials, that if we only keep doing what we are doing — add a little more cash, break down a few more doors, lock up a few more Jan Warrens and Nicole Richardsons — then we will see the light at the end of the tunnel. Victory will be ours.
"Tonight we have seen a war that in it's broad outline is not working. And we've seen some less war-like ideas that appear to hold promise. We've raised more questions than we've answered, because that's where the Drug War stands today. We're a confused people, desperately in need of answers and leadership. Legalization seems to many like too dangerous an experiment. To others, the War on Drugs, as is now conducted, seems inhumane and too costly. Is there a middle ground?