[Cicero]

"It certainly creates the appearance that she's an absentee landlord at EPA," said Frank O'Donnell, executive director of the Clean Air Trust. "It's starting to look like she's (EPA) administrator in a ceremonial capacity."

The implication that the Bush administration doesn't want her to do her job is ridiculous. She is failing to administer her own department.

No, you can't fire civil service employees, but you can shuffle them around and put them into dead-end jobs. And you can put in plenty of political appointees at the top to help you enforce policy. Whitman should have had more than enough time to be on top of this sort of thing by now. She's probably just bored with her job.

[Texasforever]

She sure seems to be easily rolled. Her explanation while probably true sound more like whining. That EPA report to the UN is a treaty agreement and is required, I believe every 5 years. She should have INSISTED on reading it and PERSONALLY signing off on it. I would hope that from this point on that policy would be that she must sign off on every “report” that is made public.

[okie01]

"but you can shuffle them around and put them into dead-end jobs."

The EPA should itself be a dead-end.

Don't fire anybody. Just send them all home. And pay them to stay there.

Think of the reduction in vehicle emissions alone that would be achieved...