Democrats Block Vote on EPA Nominee Leavitt

[LynneSin]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=584&e=2&u=/nm/20031001/pl_nm/congress_epa_dc

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Democrats blocked a vote on President Bush (news - web sites)'s nomination of Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency (news - web sites) on Wednesday, saying he needed to fully explain his positions.

Republicans fired back with accusations that Democrats were injecting the 2004 White House campaign politics into the Senate confirmation process. They also argued that Leavitt had already adequately stated his views about the environment, and deserved a vote.

"This is about the presidential election," said Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican. "This is ugly partisan politics."

Democrats, who have accused Bush of rolling back environmental protection, boycotted the committee meeting, thereby preventing the scheduled vote on Leavitt. The vote on whether to send his nomination to the full Senate for consideration was rescheduled for Oct. 15.

By then, Democrats hope to have obtained more answers from Leavitt on a number of issues -- from asbestos contamination to ozone standards.

Under committee rules, the Republican-led panel cannot conduct business unless two members of the minority are in attendance -- and only one, Sen. Jim Jeffords, a Vermont independent, showed up in order to explain the boycott.
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PS for all of you who think Lieberman is out to support all of Bush's endeavors - he was also part of the boycott

[sangh0]

1. Yes!

GO DEMS GO!!

[RedSox02]

2. Any GOP nominee for an enviromental post

has to be a joke. The party philosophy is, "Whatever mess we humans make, God will clean it up for us".

[DBoon]

4. Reagan's Watt

Didn't James Watt once actually say that the environment didn't matter because the second coming of Jesus was right around the corner?

[lfairban]

5. Maybe not directly . . .

. . . but that is a close inference from what he did say.

http://www.eco-justice.org/E-020726.asp

[realFedUp]

3. Republican memo: Disband the EPA

Arnold just read his out loud....

[Pastiche423]

6. Great news!

Thank you Dems!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[VolcanoJen]

7. KICK!!!

:dem:

[TSIAS]

8. Here's a link from today's WP

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27817-2003Oct1.html

(snip)

Senate Democrats and Sen. James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.) blocked a committee vote yesterday on the nomination of Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt (R) to head the Environmental Protection Agency in a bit of partisan theater designed to dramatize their pique at the Bush administration's environmental policies.

Insisting it was "nothing personal" against President Bush's nominee, the Democrats and Jeffords boycotted a meeting of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, denying Chairman James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) the quorum needed to send the nomination to the full Senate. Jeffords showed up just long enough to complain that he and his colleagues needed more information from Leavitt and the administration about Bush policies before they could vote, but none of the eight Democrats attended the session.

"The American public needs answers," Jeffords said before departing. "The Bush administration is weakening the Clean Air Act, it is weakening the Clean Water Act and it is not cleaning up Superfund sites. We have a right to know why. These are life-and-death issues."

"This is the only time we have the leverage, when we have something like this, and we intend to use it," he said.

--more--

[kwolf68]

12. Insisting it isn't personal?

Why the eff does this canard need to be used.

It seems before the Dems do any opposition to King W they have to preface it by letting the people know they are playing nice with the chimp.

This is freaking Democracy people...The Dems are well within their right and power to hold these bastards accountable for their views and what they would do as head of the EPA.

The Dems will win this battle. Stay strong. Stay vigilant...Fight hard. The Republicans are DEAD ASS wrong on the environment and are dead-assed wrong that this is partisan politics.

You want to see BI-partisan politics? Nominate someone who isn't a f***** wise use radical.

[Bozita]

9. Wouldn't you like to read Christie Todd Whitman's diary?

I would.

[Redneck Socialist]

10. Finally...

...it is about time our side developed a little backbone.

[Judi Lynn]

11. Kick!

:kick: