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They hate him just as much now as they ever did.

And, you are wrong here, too. His brother, Jeb, has a history of building better relationships with environmentalists, and again, the deal did not close the door to drilling in FL. What it did do was to take into account the most pressing concerns, and that is exactly what Gov. Bush has been doing since the day he came into office, and in fact, before that -- as he ran in 1998 on a platform that included an ambitious environmental preservation program, FL Forever, which he has made good on in FL.

Gov. Bush has been recognized and honored at least twice by environmentalists in this environmentally sensitive state, yet at no time did Gov. Bush waiver on his other obligations, to increase business and meet the needs of a state growing so fast we now have two more additional electoral votes as a result of the last census.

Environmentalists and Gov. Bush do not agree on every matter, but I think environmentalists in FL have seen that their concerns, especially when reflected in the majority of the population, are certainly taken into account by Gov. Bush -- and this was not the case with Dem leaders in FL, who refused to oppose a proposed commercial airport to be built in the Everglades. Many believe this insensitive position by Dem leaders, including Gore, cost Gore 96,000 votes in Nov 2000 -- from environmentalists, educators and homeowners in So FL. So, I think Gov. Bush has long had a better record with environmentalists and voters from the get go.

But environmentalists nationwide love to rip on GW. However, that criticism may sound more and more partisian to people as time goes on. And, I truly believe: GW is going to push again, in a big way, for Alaska drilling in the very near future.

Like I said, we'll have to wait and see....