Bush Advocates Quick Execution of Drug Kingpins

NEW YORK — Vice President George Bush said today that “drug kingpins” and people who commit drug-related murders should be executed, and quickly.

The Republican presidential candidate, winding up a three-day New York campaign swing, made the call for mandatory death penalties for certain drug-related crimes during a breakfast speech to the Assn. for a Better New York.

“And, frankly, I’d like to find a way to make this penalty swift,” he said. “Only a swift penalty will serve as a true deterrent.”

Asked by reporters how punishment could be speeded up without infringing on a defendant’s constitutional rights of due process, Bush responded: “Due process is fine, but we’ve got to find a way to speed it up. I don’t know the answer. I’m not a lawyer.”