Just When You Need Environmental Leaders, Bush Gives You Hacks.

Oh THIS is effective democratic government, no? Put POLITICAL HACKS in the way of SCIENTISTS and other informed personnel to reduce effectiveness in protecting human rights, health and safety!!!!

Bush Directive Increases Sway on Regulation: "President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.

This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts. It suggests that the administration still has ways to exert its power after the takeover of Congress by the Democrats.

The White House said the executive order was not meant to rein in any one agency. But business executives and consumer advocates said the administration was particularly concerned about rules and guidance issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration."

You do realize of course that Bush's presidential priority is to destroy OSHA and the EPA's ability to regulate his donor-cronies, right?