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01/27/2005: "Christie as Promised"

Christine Todd Whitman, former EPA Administrator in the Bush Administration, has written a book on the experience. As promised earlier in this journal, here are some pertinent excerpts. “in recent years, the Republican Party’s reputation as a steward of the environment has dramatically deteriorated, and the party is now widely perceived by the American public as downright anti-environment. Our efforts have been overshadowed by those in the Administration, and in key leadership roles in Congress, who never seem to miss an opportunity to dismiss environmental protection as a priority. Rather than forcefully and consistently making the case for more innovative environmental policies, the approach in recent years has always been to emphasize instead the party’s sympathy with the concerns of business. This was made abundantly clear to me very early in my tenure at EPA when the Administration abruptly reversed itself in a way that would have serious consequences… a mandatory cap on carbon dioxide emissions was listed as one of the Bush Campaign’s promises in a thick notebook titled “Transition 2001,” the official compendium of the President’s campaign promises, which I was given when I was nominated for the EPA position…I knew the President was facing considerable pressure, but when the White House asked me to hold time early the following week to meet with the President on the issue, I thought I still had a chance to make my case for keeping his pledge. But as soon as I sat down, I realized that I wasn’t there to state my case – I was there to be told that he had decided to reverse himself…By stating that carbon dioxide was not a pollutant, he had issued a stronger repudiation of his campaign position than Hagel and his allies had expected….I believe that the party that succeeds in truly presenting a sensible, moderate position on the environment stands to reap significant policy gains and political rewards. The Republican Party has the heritage and the record over the last four decades to make it the logical party to do so. What remains unclear is whether it has the vision and the will to move away from the extreme anti-environmentalist posture it has assumed in an effort to solidify its “base.” It’s a challenge the moderates must address. To cede the battle for environmental protection to the anti-regulatory lobbyists and extreme anti-government ideologues is to ignore our obligation as stewards of the environment for ourselves, our children and grandchildren.” Tomorrow let’s talk about Christie’s basic mistake.