Bush should take the blame if he allows this report and those who released it to go unchallenged. That the CEO does not micromanage is well-understood. But when a significant gaffe like this occurs, it's the CEO's job to clean house.
I sure hope Bush had the foresight to get Whitman's letter of resignation before she was appointed to the EPA.
It's not a significant gaffe. Agency studies are commissioned, studies are completed, and studies are released to the press. They have to be.
The results of a study commissioned by any Agency has no bearing whatsoever on the policy or legislative agenda of the Administration. Whitman couldn't kill that thing, it was leaked to the NYT before she probably knew that it existed. Big deal.