Re: [pf] Whitman for EPA, Prec Principle

by Sharon Flesher

21 December 2000 15:20 UTC

David A wrote:
> >From today's NY Times:
> "Republicans close to the Bush campaign said that the president-elect
> was close to naming several fellow Republican governors to cabinet
> posts, perhaps on Friday. Christie Whitman, the moderate governor of New
> Jersey, would be named to head the Environmental Protection Agency, the
> officials said."
> http://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/21/politics/21BUSH.html

 This is a relief considering that Michigan DEQ director Russ Harding was on
the short list for this job. He would have made James Watt look Green.

So far, the Bush cabinet appointments seem to be a lot more moderate than
the last couple of GOP administrations. Maybe it's because he knows he
really lost the election and doesn't have popular support for a right-wing
government.

The guy he chose for Treasury Secretary, Paul O'Neill, once advocated a
carbon tax!

I saw one story that said Bush might be considering Sen. Ben Nighthorse
Campbell for Interior. Here's his profile, from ABC News:

"Colorado's senior senator, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, switched to the GOP in
1995 soon after the Republicans took control of Congress. He had served as a
loyal Democrat in the House from 1987, until he won a Senate seat in 1992.
Early on he broke with the Clinton Administration, notably in leading
western senators to block a 25 percent hike in fees the federal government
charges ranches to graze their cattle on federal lands. But Republicans may
find him a thorn in their side, too: Campbell remains a committed, though
pragmatic, environmentalist and feels comfortable taking his own trail.
    Born in California in 1933, the Native American served in Vietnam and as
captain of the 1964 U.S. Olympic judo team. He dropped out of high school to
join the Air Force (where he earned a G.E.D.). He served in Korea and
attended Meiji University in Tokyo, Japan, as special research student
between 1960-1964. A jewelry designer, Campbell rides a Harley Davidson
motorcycle and wears a bolo neck tie. He lives in Ignacio with his wife,
Linda."

Sharon Flesher
CarSharing Traverse, Inc.
Traverse City, Mich.
sflesher@traverse.net

"Be the change you wish to see." M.K. Gandhi