Lula tries to shake alcoholism rumors - Brasil

DRUNK IN CHARGE: Everyone knows about the Brazilian president's liking of alcohol, but only now are people fearing that it's clouding his mind

NY TIMES NEWS SERVICE , BRASILIA, BRAZIL
Monday, May 10, 2004,Page 7

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has never hidden his fondness for a glass of beer, a shot of whiskey or, even better, a slug of cachaca, Brazil's potent sugar-cane liquor. But some of his countrymen have begun wondering if their president's predilection for strong drink is affecting his performance in office.

In recent months, da Silva's left-leaning government has been assailed by one crisis after another, ranging from a corruption scandal to the failure of crucial social programs. The president has often stayed out of the public eye and left his advisers to do most of the heavy lifting. That has spurred speculation that his apparent disengagement and passivity may somehow be related to his appetite for alcohol. His supporters, however, deny reports of heavy drinking.

Though political leaders and journalists are increasingly talking among themselves about da Silva's consumption of liquor, few are willing to express their misgivings in public or on the record. One exception is Leonel Brizola, the leader of the leftist Democratic Labor Party, who was da Silva's running mate in the 1998 election but now worries that the president is "destroying the neurons in his brain."

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/05/10/2003154894

Why shouldn't our elected leaders be subject to alcohol and drug testing? And periodic psychological testing?