Kerry, Lieberman, Edwards and Clinton stand firm against EPA nominee

[DJcairo]

Hearing on E.P.A. Nominee Takes an Ideological Turn
By Katharine Q. Seelye
The New York Times

Wednesday 24 September 2003

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats used the confirmation hearing today on Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah, President Bush's choice for administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, as a forum to sharply criticize the administration's environmental record, all but ignoring the nominee sitting in front of them.

In the packed, three-hour hearing, members of the Environment and Public Works Committee told Mr. Leavitt repeatedly that the job he was seeking was one of the worst in Washington.

In response, Mr. Leavitt said that he viewed himself as a problem solver, that his preferred approach was collaboration and that his main goal was clean air.

"The solutions to these problems are found in the productive middle," he said. "Rarely are they found at the extremes."

Democrats and Republicans expect the committee to confirm Mr. Leavitt when it meets next week and say that the full Senate will vote to confirm him.

But four Democratic senators — Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and three who are running for president: John Kerry of Massachusetts, Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut and John Edwards of North Carolina — have said they will bar the nomination from reaching the Senate until President Bush addressed certain issues. These include questions about why the administration removed warnings from agency press releases about the safety of the air at ground zero in New York shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

http://truthout.org/docs_03/092603G.shtml

P.S. Damn those "Washington Insiders" again. They just don't accomplish anything do they?

[JI7]

1. great, some credit to edwards

i think edwards was the first to say he would oppose it. but i knew others would also.

[diplomats]

2. I remember Hillary came out against it

because of concerns about post-9/11 air quality in New York.

[JI7]

3. she kicked their asses

did you see her speaking about it with a bunch of other people around her? she totally kicked the administration's ass on that one.

[mndemocrat_29]

4. Always glad to see Democrats standing up for our principals

Sen. Hillary, always leading the charge.