Liberia, Aug. 7 -- He came to swear in judges and court marshals. He left having delivered the most direct public warning of his presidency - to drug traffickers, yes, but also, if the words are taken at face value, to anyone inside his own government still hoping this scandal blows over quietly.

By Rodney D. Sieh, rodney.sieh@frontpageafricaonline.com

Monrovia - President Joseph Boakai's remarks began, as these ceremonies usually do, with the formalities - congratulations to the new judges and court marshals, praise for the judiciary's constitutional independence, gratitude to Joint Security personnel working "under difficult conditions." And then, without much warning, the tone shifted into something closer to a direct address to an u...