"You think you are really smart about this. Better check out which party controls FERC. Very few of Bush appointees have been approved for anything thanks to daschle and if you bothered to do research bet you will find that very few if any have been appointed to this Commission by President Bush. This is another one of these you may not like what you find."
Check the May 2001 PBS Frontline interview with (now) former FERC Chairman, Curtis Hebert (a Bush appointee, BTW).
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/blackout/interviews/hebert.html
Excerpts below:
Frontline: "Mr. Lay made no secret with us about his close relationship with the president and the White House and so on. We've been told that he in fact says things like, "I'll help you with what you need politically, let's say, staying on as chairman of the FERC, if you'll go along with me on this policy issue." Did that ever happen?"
Hebert: "I would never make that trade. "
Frontline: "Did he ever propose such a trade?"
Hebert: "I would just say that I would never make such a trade."
...
Frontline: "Our sources tell us that in fact he offered to talk to the president on your behalf if you would go along with what he wanted."
Hebert: "I don't think there's any doubt he would be a much stronger supporter of mine if I ... were willing to do what he would want me to do."
Frontline: "If I were to tell you that he has told the governor of California, for instance, in a private meeting which the governor then reported, that you're history, you're going to be replaced. Does that surprise you?"
Hebert: "Nothing that comes out of California at this point would surprise me. It's not secret that Governor Gray Davis asked for the previous chairman under President Clinton of this agency to be fired. I know for a fact that he has asked for me to be fired as well. I'm not sure what the litmus test is for Gray Davis. And if there is some relationship between Gray Davis and Ken Lay, I find that very curious."
Frontline: "Our information is that Ken Lay told the governor, "Keep your powder dry. Hebert is going to be out of there soon. Pat Wood will be in his place." It sounds like he's confident that you're history."
Hebert: "Well, I think the president will make that call, and not Ken Lay. "
Frontline: "I called the vice president. I've talked to the vice president. He says Pat Wood will be the new chairman. It sounds like Ken Lay is getting his way."
Hebert: "He might. This will be the first knowledge I've had if Pat Wood is in fact to be chairman."
...
Frontline: "Other people we've spoken to say that if you don't please Ken Lay and Enron, you don't wind up on the FERC as a nominee."
Hebert: "Obviously, I'm here until 2004 regardless of what happens now. If at some point the president decides he would like to have someone else as chair, that is certainly his opportunity and ability to do so as president of the United States, and I would honor that."
Three months later, Hebert "resigned," and Pat Wood replaced him. So, I guess we do know who was running FERC then...Ken Lay.
Barbara H.
Thanks and wow.
According to your source, it was allegedly California Governor Gray who said Hebert was going to be replaced.
Funny how you and this reporter casually twisted that around.
If Gray was running the nation's energy policy, as you would evidently reason, you should ask your congressman to investigate IMHO.
Would you like to offer some backup to that {a Bush appointee, BTW}?.. Any good url, article, congressional record will do..............
Now President Bush did name Mr. Hebert [a republican] as Chairman in Jan. 2001, but Mr Hebert was appointed by President Clinton in 1997............