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EDITORIAL: Logic goes up in smoke  

THE BUSH administration's reason for opposing a bill giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products defies logic. According to a spokeswoman, the White House fears that FDA oversight could make the public think that regulated tobacco products are safe. But if tobacco products aren't safe, why should they remain unregulated? Short of an outright ban, FDA control is the best way to minimize the danger of cigarettes and other tobacco products that are marketed ever more creatively to the public. . . .

The bill has 218 House and 56 Senate cosponsors - more than half the Congress. The Institute of Medicine and the President's Cancer Panel both endorse FDA regulation. Even the National Association of Convenience Stores says it will no longer oppose it.

Another disingenuous concern from the administration is that the FDA lacks the resources to implement the new controls. That is the fault of the very officials who point to a weakened FDA as an excuse. It almost makes a citizen wish for Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who is the top Senate recipient of tobacco industry contributions in the current campaign cycle, at $107,000. At least his opposition to FDA control is straightforward.

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