http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/05/21/...man.resigns.ap/


Maybe someone from Halliburton or Enron is available to take her place.

I think she and Fleischer see the handwriting on the wall and recoginize that the enitre GOP ship with Dubya as captain is going down in Nov, 2004.
My personal feeling is that it is all past the point of no return for Dubya and the GOP.Too many problems, all of them getting larger.

[ May 21, 2003, 07:32 AM: Message edited by: billybob ]

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/5853887.htm
Governor counters critics of Glades bill
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Even Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Environmental Protection Administrator Christine Todd Whitman considered publicly opposing the bill, according to two Capitol Hill staffers who spoke on condition of anonymity. The two members of the Cabinet even cowrote a proposed ''op-ed'' piece on the subject that was sent to the White House.

But in a measure of the dispute's political sensitivity, Norton and Whitman kept their opposition private to avoid any criticism of the president's brother, according to the staffers.

Secretary Whitman has been handcuffed on a number of politically sensitive issues by the WH. One of the largest issues was the EPA's desire to deal with a potentially enormous asbestos issue. The EPA was to the point of rolling out the first tier one environmental health alert program ever enacted, and the WH called and put the stops to it just days before it was to be made public. There were a tremendous number of EPA staffers up in arms, because the public health impact could be substantial. And they were not allowed to do their jobs, and deal with the problem.

I think this is a factor of two things -- the inability for some staffers to continue to support an administration that is rather cavalier in making it clear that the opinions of most people simply do not matter. And the usual attrition that happens the year before the next Presidential election. Getting out now gives some people a chance to get replaced and not rock the boat at a sensitive time.

It is interesting to note the sudden increased activity. Perhaps the Pentagon is floating proposals to take over most of the Cabinet slots for the sake of national security. Then they would have access to even more money to give away to friends and supporters.

You folks never cease to amaze me. Every Administration we've ever had has experienced numerous departures, more often closer to a presidential election than further away from one. Someone leaves the Bush Administration, and you virulent, foaming-at-the-mouth Bush haters have orgasms trying to run here and blast Bush and the GOP over such changes.

If a Cabinet member should disagree with the president on something, no matter what it might be, you also come here ranting and raving that it only shows how ridiculous Bush is, or how wrong he is, or...whatever. On the flip side, if a Cabinet member were to never disagree or oppose the president, you'd be here crying that it's blind loyalty, stupidity, etc.

Make up your frickin' minds, will ya? I see nothing wrong with a Cabinet member being loyal. I also see nothing wrong with a Cabinet member disagreeing with the president, even telling him something he may not like to hear. It fosters a diversity of opinions.

Ari Fleischer's been talking for the last 12 months about leaving, mainly because he said after his marriage that he wanted to leave the stress of the White House press corp and get a higher-paying private sector job. Good for him.

So, is there a problem with that?

well they will have another 4 years to bush bash and cry.... the top democratic candidate wouldnt even win his home state.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/22180...073/detail.html

Funny how all ya'alls bitching and complaining about bushy never stick. You simply move on to a different topic.... that didnt stick, he did this... blah.... now it's the mass exodus of 2 people, they are dropping like flies! LOL...

Hmm, did I not point out in my post that one of the factors here could be the usual attrition of people the year before an election? Do you guys ever read the whole thing, or do you always stop once you read the point that you plan to attack?

It would be interesting to see if you were capable of having a thoroughly thought out conversation for once. But real discussion is never part of the plan, as you have demonstrated over time.

And, by the way, it is not that some members of this board move from one topic to another. It is that the President and his team always have something new coming up to discuss. Perhaps if he were a little more capable of running the country, and his team were a little less interested in sealing off the democratic principles of our country, there would be fewer things for the rest of us to discuss. However, since the President (and most of his followers) don't seem all that capable of arguing their way out of a paper bag, I will look forward to another few months of incessant opportunities to point out what idiot behavior looks like.

The brainless one's popularity is still high because of the war in Iraq, but the situation there is really starting to escalate out of control. And when there's a fundamentalist Islamic revolution and Iraq ends up being like Iran, well then enough people in the red states will come to their previously "blinded by flag waving" senses and realize that the war was a waste of time and money. And when you look at the economy -- worst economic growth since the great depression. It's pretty clear to Fleischer and Whitman -- Prezident Moron is unelectable.

No, pResident Moron is quite electable. If he were to win Florida outright this time, instead of the coup we had last time--that is, if Graham isn't in the race--then he could win it all. So I'm not counting him out at all.

Also, now would be the time for folks to get out, before the big run-up to the election really gets underway. Fleischer resigned, I think, because he saw other opportunities opening up; Whitman left out of frustration. I don't think the two are comparable.

And as chaotic as Iraq is, as resurgent as vile Al-Qaeda is, as dreadful as the economy is, and on and on, NO ONE should underestimate either the power of incumbency or the zealotry and money behind THIS PARTICULAR pRESIDENT. Any Democrat or Green or even GOP critic should keep in mind that the most powerful forces in the country want this man to stay in office to remake the country. His father wasn't so pliable, but he is. We see it every day.

Now we learn that they're trying to create a nuclear bunker buster, but instead of announcing it publicly, Lebensraummy hid it in the Defense Authorization bill. This kind of thing is commonplace under W., which is one reason it'll be hell getting him out of that Executive Office. It is possible, though. Dean and Graham, 2004!!!

Let's take a look at some of Whitman's achievements while at the helm of the EPA:

--signed off on changes to the clean air rules making it easier for industrial plants, manufacturers, and power plants to expand production capacity without installing advanced emissions controls.
--lessened the EPA's role in enforcing criminal violations of environmental laws. She diverted those officials to work as her own personal bodyguards (!) and homeland-security assignments.
--rescinded the Clinton Administration decision to reduce the amount of arsenic allowed in drinking water. Only intervention by Congress caused her to reinstate the rule.
--defended the Bush decision to withdraw from the international change negotiations (often called the Kyoto Accords.)

She was loyal to Bush and, as such, a disaster for the environment. Sad to say, but whomever we get next to head the EPA will be no better.

~Adam