NAMES IN THE NEWS : Drug Czar Snipes at ‘Simpsons’

PITTSBURGH — g czar William J. Bennett, who is on a crusade against crack dealers, took a swipe at a celluloid bad boy--Bart Simpson.

During a tour Wednesday of the Foundation for Abraxas drug-treatment center, Bennett spied a poster of the cartoon miscreant and told recovering addicts that they shouldn’t follow Bart’s lead as an underachiever.

“You guys aren’t watching ‘The Simpsons,’ are you? That’s not going to help you any,” said Bennett, director of the national drug policy office.

Bart is the spike-haired son on “The Simpsons,” the Fox network’s highly rated cartoon sitcom featuring the adventures of a bug-eyed family of five.

“We have great respect for Mr. Bennett’s task and responsibility,” said Brad Turell, a spokesman for the show. “But I am not aware of any one TV program that will help teen-agers kick the drug habit.”