RE: PLW Update: Who Will Be The New Secretary of Interior????
Richard Smith
----- Original Message -----From: Art AllenTo: A ParklandwatchSent: 10/20/08 12:49:47 p.m.Subject: PLW Update: Who Will Be The New Secretary of Interior????Who Will Lead Interior Under a New President?
As the election nears its close, playing Name-That-Cabinet is more fun than Quote-Those-Poll-Numbers.
Jill Kuraitis / 10-16-08 / de / NewWest
The Idaho Statesman’s award-winning columnist Rocky Barker has an excellent review of who might be the next Secretary of the Interior, depending on who wins the presidential race.
This is of particular interest in Idaho because former governor, U.S. senator and (and Boise mayor) Dirk Kempthorne (R) is the current head of Interior, where his reviews have been generally very good.
Barker points out that the agency’s head is the country’s top wildlife manager of “more than 507 million acres of national parks, rangeland and wildlife refuges.”
He would manage more than 600 dams that bring water to 31 million Westerners and irrigate 60 percent of all the vegetables grown in the United States. He would be in charge of the fate of 1,265 threatened or endangered species.
He would be responsible for 68 percent of the nation’s oil and gas reserves and millions of acres of federal mining lands. The next president’s choice for Interior also will sit on the Cabinet, discussing the major issues that face the nation and the world.What a tall order in these difficult times.
In a McCain administration, Barker muses about whether Kempthorne would stay on:
Kempthorne has helped restore and grow funding for national parks, listed the polar bear as endangered, acknowledged the role of climate change, taken responsibility to clean up MMS and improved employees’ morale. Kempthorne has at least made the case that keeping him on through the transition would allow McCain to focus on the economy and other challenges.
The convictions of Deputy Secretary Steve Griles for his dealings with corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the recent scandal uncovered in the Minerals Management Service and the blatant meddling in scientific decisions on listing endangered species undercut the integrity of the agency that has so much control over the West. All of these happened on the watch of Gale Norton.
Kempthorne has helped restore and grow funding for national parks, listed the polar bear as endangered, acknowledged the role of climate change, taken responsibility to clean up MMS and improved employees’ morale. Kempthorne has at least made the case that keeping him on through the transition would allow McCain to focus on the economy and other challenges.
Other names being suggested for McCain are Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colorado, and Rep. Steve Pearce R-New Mexico.
Under a President Obama, Rep. George Miller, D-California, John Leshy, who worked at Interior when former Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus was Secretary of the Interior, and Montana’s governor Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, are apparently being thrown around.
Washington’s Roll Call has a few other ideas:
Interior Secretary. Obama is thought likely to continue the trend of installing a westerner as interior secretary, especially if he runs strongly in sagebrush states such as Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. Napolitano is a possibility if she fails to get AG or DHS, while Wyoming’s Dave Freudenthal (D) would be a contender if he can be persuaded to forgo the wide open spaces for D.C.
It’s also possible that Obama could turn to veteran House Democrats such as Norm Dicks (Wash.), chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, or George Miller (Calif.), a former chairman of the Natural Resources Committee. While both would be hard-pressed to give up plum positions in the Democratic majority, they may wish to cap their careers with a Cabinet job.
Western publication High Country News takes a look at who might serve under both men in “What the election means for the Interior Department.”
Who is the West's next federal landlord?
Submitted by Rocky Barker on Thu, 10/16/2008 - 9:14am.One of the great parlor games of the West is to guess who the next president will choose as the Interior Secretary.
The man or woman who will succeed Idaho’s Dirk Kempthorne will be the nation's top wildlife manager, federal landlord of more than 507 million acres of national parks, rangeland and wildlife refuges.
He would manage more than 600 dams that bring water to 31 million Westerners and irrigate 60 percent of all the vegetables grown in the United States. He would be in charge of the fate of 1,265 threatened or endangered species.
He would be responsible for 68 percent of the nation's oil and gas reserves and millions of acres of federal mining lands. The next president’s choice for Interior also will sit on the Cabinet, discussing the major issues that face the nation and the world.
First look at McCain. Would he keep Kempthorne on? Any independent observer would have to say Kempthorne has helped boost the reputation of the Bush Administration after the Interior’s lowest moments since the Teapot Dome controversy.
The convictions of Deputy Secretary Steve Griles for has dealings with corrupt lobbying Jack Abramoff, the recent scandal uncovered in the Minerals Management Service and the blatant meddling in scientific decisions on listing endangered species undercut the integrity of the agency that has so much control over the West. All of these happened on the watch of Gale Norton.
Kempthorne has helped restore and grow funding for national parks, listed the polar bear as endangered, acknowledged the role of climate change, taken responsibility to clean up MMS and improved employees’ morale. Kempthorne has at least made the case that keeping him on through the transition would allow McCain to focus on the economy and other challenges.
Others mentioned include Colorado Republican Sen. Wayne Allard, a states rights advocate who is stepping down from the Senate, Rep. Steve Pearce, a New Mexico Republican likely to lose to Democratic Rep. Tom Udall in their race for the Senate.
Neither one of these picks will make environmentalists happy but Allard has supported some environmental projects in Colorado. If McCain wanted environmental support he might step out of the West and pick Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who has a great environmental record in the Senate. His wife, Honey’s father used to be the mayor of Couer d’Alene.
One woman I would include is current deputy Interior secretary Lynn Scarlett. she was unscathed by the mismanagement under Norton and shares McCain's environmental, libertarian philosophy.
For Obama I’m hearing California Democratic Rep. George Miller as a candidate. The former House Resources Committee chairman is an expert on Interior and has strong support among environmental groups. He buys into the new collaborative approach to public lands management. I watched him work on a committee at with Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner Cameron Wheeler at a collaborative workshop held in 2001 in Red Lodge, Mont. And they came away with common ground on a proposal on how to streamline federal land management decision making. He also has supported GOP Mike Simpson's Boulder-White Clouds wilderness protection bill.
John Leshy, the former solicitor under Bruce Babbitt and Bill Clinton, and an Interior veteran going back to Cecil Andrus’ days there is another name that comes up. Leshy, a professor of law at the Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco also served as chief counsel under Miller in on the Resources Committee. He also has environmental support.
Montana Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer would be the obvious choice since he has become one of the West’s leading voices on Interior and energy issues. But Schweitzer has said he wants to stay in Montana. We’ll see.
Others thrown out there are Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who is going to be up for several Cabinet posts including State, Rep Jay Inslee of Washington and Colorado Rep. Mark Udall, if he loses to Republican Bob Schaffer for Allard’s Senate seat.
If he wants to go outside of government, Obama might choose Sally Jewell, CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc., and leader in the Initiative for Global Development, which is a group of business leaders seeking to end world poverty
Submitted by eatwhatyoukill on Thu, 10/16/2008 - 12:46pm.the next Secretary will preside over a more competant and ethical department because I believe the other political appointees will be chosen based more on their competence and judgement than ideology.
The incompetence and corruption in the Dept. of Interior under Bush is shameful and a disgrace to the Republican Party. Unfortunately, it was not confined to the Dept of Interior.
Competence over ideology
Submitted by political_junkie on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 10:01am.It remains to be seen what Obama will do as a president, presuming he get's in. I am not at all confident that he will choose competence over ideology. Obama has surrounded himself with deeply ideological figures for a great deal of his life. I don't see him changing those habits now.
McCain also remains to be seen, though he seems to be more pragmatist than ideological. His libertarian leanings could make a difference, but many bills he has backed in the Senate have been decidedly not libertarian.
Of course, sometimes prior performance is a poor indicator of future actions. George Bush was a pragmatist as the governor of Texas and then took a ideologic turn as President. Now he is moving back towards a pragmatic stance with economic issues.
Truth is hard to come by
You Are Correct P.J., The Truth is hard to come by......
Submitted by eatwhatyoukill on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 3:14pm.Anyone who knows about Obama's days at the notoriously nasty & partisan Harvard Law School Review should be aware that he negotiated those teacherous waters with an even hand that gained the respect of the conservative members (that he appointed as editors!).
Then there are his "ideological" economic advisors - Warren Buffet, Bob Rubin and Larry Summers. McCain's = Phil Gramm!
Obama's "idealogical" foreign policy team - Susan Rice, Anthony Lake, Richard Lugar, et al. McCain's = Randy Scheunemann.
Obama surrounding himeself with idealogues? A surreal comment that seems like it was emitted by the Alice In Wonderland McCain team.
Pass me another Geritol and Root Beer float, please?
Submitted by foreignoregonian on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 6:38pm.----------
If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho Statesman already in progress.
EWYK
Submitted by political_junkie on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 9:35pm.All of the examples you cite are good ones, but they are also recent. If that is the course Obama chooses through his presidency, the country will be stronger for it. However, for the last twenty years Obama has found himself in close company with many who profess a hatred for America, and there are to many for it to just be a coincidence. If that is the path he treads as President it will lead to his downfall.
Truth is hard to come by
PJ, The Harvard Law School Example
Submitted by eatwhatyoukill on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 10:49pm.is hardly recent. His record in the Illinois and US Senate is one of pragmatism and moderation. I am not sure who you are referring to, but you appear to be repeating the thoroughly discredited myths promoted by McCain.
Wow eatwhatyoukill
Submitted by political_junkie on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 4:54pm.I feel educated now. I had absolutely no idea that it had been disproven that Obama spent twenty years in a church led by a racist pastor, or hung around with an unapologetic terrorist (and then lied about it.) I must have just been to busy clinging bitterly to guns and religion to understand that everything negative said against my government messiah (marxism rears it's ugly head) was proven to be untrue.
Truth is hard to come by
PJ, Well I Think We have Exhausted This
Submitted by eatwhatyoukill on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 9:17pm.You had said that Obama's pragmatic, moderate stance was "recent" and I pointed out his remarkable, moderate tenure as editor of the Harvard Law Review. You responded - not with anything fresh or thoughtful - but with the completely discredited McCain talking points. You should listen to Colin Powell's (that notorious idealogue!) endorsement of Obama today......along with most newspapers in the country. He laid waste to the McCain lies, as so many others have done.
But, your final sentance is absolutely accurate "Truth is hard to come by".
Wealth redistribution is not a moderate stance
Submitted by political_junkie on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 10:32pm.and better than 80% of Americans are against the idea. Obama clearly stated he was for the idea. Of course the answer to that brief moment of honesty has been to try and destroy the man who dared challenge him. I find nothing pragmatic about that, just the same old smoke and mirrors deception which you have so clearly fallen for. Obama is what he is, and you can't spin your way out of that. The question is, will he be a Jimmy Carter and press a to liberal agenda and destroy his own power, or will he be a Bill Clinton and pragmatically embrace where the country is going and co-opt others ideas as his own?
It seems to me that the answer will be the second, but not until after a couple of losing battles. Both Clinton and Schwarzenegger followed that particular path. The only caveat I have to that is that Obama has spent a lot of time in a liberal echo chamber, and it may come as a shock to him that others, even in his own party, aren't going to go along with his marxist leanings.
But then, they might just be clinging bitterly to guns and religion (a near perfect quote from Saul Alinsky.) Yeah, couldn't resist that other McCain talking point, just like the McCain talking point of "I'm going to spread that wealth around." I just hate it when McCain tries to make McCain look bad like that.
Truth is hard to come by
Gee PJ
Submitted by brt929 on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 10:50pm.Where is the wealth "redistribution" that you claim? You mean because the wealthy will have to pay taxes too? Is that wealth "redistribution?"
Your whole tirade is simply childish. You know full well that Obama did not hang with Ayers, nor did he lie about it. He did not choose the members of that board, and working together hardly made them pals.
Even if they were the best of friends, Obama has shown himself to have much better judgment than McCain has. McCain's choice of Palin, his robot-calls about Ayers, and his inability to understand the financial crisis reveals that he does not belong in the Oval office. This is not the same McCain of 2000.
You are so mired down in Republican double-speak, that you have lost all perspective on the issues. You used to be thoughtful, and immune to the GOP rhetoric, what's happened?
I Guess There Is Some Life In This
Submitted by eatwhatyoukill on Mon, 10/20/2008 - 8:51am.We will see about the 80% in a couple of weeks.
A rational tax system is a moderate stance. Repeatedly calling Obama's tax plan "wealth redistribution" does not make it so. Perhaps you would like to explain how lowering taxes on those making less that $250k /year is "redistribution". Do you have an AGI over $250k? It's simple. If you don't, you will get a tax break under the Obama plan. Obama will be a Clinton like figure in that he knows that this is a center - right country and he knows that results - even incremental results - are what counts. McCain has no fiscal plan that differs from Bush's. Any thoughts on Bush's $5 trillion increase in Federal debt and the fact that McCain voted against the Bush tax cut....until he decided he wanted to succeed W?
The notion that Obama "destroyed" Joe the Plumber is pure pure Fox / McCain nonsense. After McCain put the poor guy in the public eye, the press (not Obama) moved in to show that every one of Joe's & McCain's premises was false if not a lie. The whole thing was emblematic of the lousy McCain homework and pathetic spin. And now the "destroyed" meme....come on!
I would be interested in the Alinsky "bitter" quote.....or approximation.
Apparently you and I watch PBS.
Submitted by foreignoregonian on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 11:47pm.----------
If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho Statesman already in progress.
A guy, obviously.
Submitted by foreignoregonian on Thu, 10/16/2008 - 6:02pm.----------
If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho Statesman already in progress.
libertarian?
Submitted by erico49 on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 10:18am.McCain libertarian!! What a joke. He doesn't have a libertarian bone in his body.
He doesn't even...aw, forget it, and you'd think so.
Submitted by foreignoregonian on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 11:56pm.----------
If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho Statesman already in progress.
He's a BONELESS Libertarian. Glad he's not SKINLESS too.
Submitted by foreignoregonian on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 11:48pm.----------
If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho Statesman already in progress.
Aw Gee Whiz
Submitted by DaveSkinner on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 12:46pm.For Rocky to call John a libertarian basically tells you what Rocky is. And his suggestion that George Miller would be interested in any sort of real collaboration is also indicative.
One thing is certain: The West, at least the cultural and economic Old West, will not benefit much in this election. For McCain, the best case is benign neglect, pretty much the same as it was with Bush 2. The only difference might be a little less neglect as shown by appointees such as Dale Bosworth/Mark Rey on one hand, and Gale Norton on the other, oh, and I can't forget Fran Mainella with NPS...funny how she jumped in bed with Bill Wade's Parks are for Bureaucrats, Not People the very day she was no longer constrained. If Lynn Scarlett is a carry over, the fact is that she's been a nonentity her entire tenure.
With Obama, because he is so urbanized, I feel it certain that both the Forest Service and BLM, DOI and USDA, will wind up with the appointed slots being filled directly from the eco-groups. That will be the green "reward" for their loyalty and political support, to be allowed to punish the public lands dependent communities that will vote for McCain out of simple self defense?
How about Jamie Clark at USFWS again; Gloria Flora leaving her goat farm for the USFS; Leshy as BLM Director --
Scary stuff.
Ladies and politicians, I have in my possession a mail-in ballot
Submitted by foreignoregonian on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 12:08am.Sealed by my some Hermes with a Tic in a Bartles and James box to remain crispy until the USPS got to my mailbox!
You talk about SEVENTEEN HUNDRED in Ada County WELL!
Those are the number of Oregonians who filled it out and didn't even have to USE A STAMP! Because WE have drop boxes...TODAY ALONE, on the way from WORK, in the privacy of their LONESOMES...
Why it boggles the Idaho state government. And I'm Matthew LESKOW~~~HAH!!!
In one way I'll ne able to compemplate how to gloat in a politcally correct manner (there is none) in three weeks or at least tell you I was the first in my precinct?
No, not to get a Red Ryder BB gun. It's just the stupid Presidential race again.
But let's GET IT ON!
I'm gonna finish watching Woodstock!
Might as well, my Schwinn got stolen last night.
Submitted by foreignoregonian on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 6:40pm.----------
If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho Statesman already in progress.
don castleberry
Ron Mackie
election, hands down for my choice would be the outstanding
congressman from California, George Miller. Congressman Miller loves
our Parks, an avid backpacker, just a simply outstanding individual
with a terrific record in Congress. He is the very best.
>Submitted by eatwhatyoukill on Thu, 10/16/2008 - 12:46pm.
>the next Secretary will preside over a more competant and ethical
>department because I believe the other political appointees will be
>chosen based more on their competence and judgement than ideology.
>The incompetence and corruption in the Dept. of Interior under Bush
>is shameful and a disgrace to the Republican Party. Unfortunately, it
>was not confined to the Dept of Interior.
>
>
>
>Submitted by political_junkie on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 10:01am.
>It remains to be seen what Obama will do as a president, presuming he
>get's in. I am not at all confident that he will choose competence
>over ideology. Obama has surrounded himself with deeply ideological
>figures for a great deal of his life. I don't see him changing those
>habits now.
>McCain also remains to be seen, though he seems to be more pragmatist
>than ideological. His libertarian leanings could make a difference,
>but many bills he has backed in the Senate have been decidedly not
>libertarian.
>Of course, sometimes prior performance is a poor indicator of future
>actions. George Bush was a pragmatist as the governor of Texas and
>then took a ideologic turn as President. Now he is moving back
>towards a pragmatic stance with economic issues.
>Truth is hard to come by
>
>
>
>Submitted by eatwhatyoukill on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 3:14pm.
>Anyone who knows about Obama's days at the notoriously nasty &
>partisan Harvard Law School Review should be aware that he negotiated
>those teacherous waters with an even hand that gained the respect of
>the conservative members (that he appointed as editors!).
>Then there are his "ideological" economic advisors - Warren Buffet,
>Bob Rubin and Larry Summers. McCain's = Phil Gramm!
>Obama's "idealogical" foreign policy team - Susan Rice, Anthony Lake,
>Richard Lugar, et al. McCain's = Randy Scheunemann.
>Obama surrounding himeself with idealogues? A surreal comment that
>seems like it was emitted by the Alice In Wonderland McCain team.
>
>
>
>Submitted by foreignoregonian on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 6:38pm.
>----------
>If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just
>read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting
>and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho
>Statesman already in progress.
>
>
>
>Submitted by political_junkie on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 9:35pm.
>All of the examples you cite are good ones, but they are also recent.
>If that is the course Obama chooses through his presidency, the
>country will be stronger for it. However, for the last twenty years
>Obama has found himself in close company with many who profess a
>hatred for America, and there are to many for it to just be a
>coincidence. If that is the path he treads as President it will lead
>to his downfall.
>Truth is hard to come by
>
>
>
>Submitted by eatwhatyoukill on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 10:49pm.
>is hardly recent. His record in the Illinois and US Senate is one of
>pragmatism and moderation. I am not sure who you are referring to,
>but you appear to be repeating the thoroughly discredited myths
>promoted by McCain.
>
>
>
>Submitted by political_junkie on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 4:54pm.
>I feel educated now. I had absolutely no idea that it had been
>disproven that Obama spent twenty years in a church led by a racist
>pastor, or hung around with an unapologetic terrorist (and then lied
>about it.) I must have just been to busy clinging bitterly to guns
>and religion to understand that everything negative said against my
>government messiah (marxism rears it's ugly head) was proven to be
>untrue.
>Truth is hard to come by
>
>
>
>Submitted by eatwhatyoukill on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 9:17pm.
>You had said that Obama's pragmatic, moderate stance was "recent" and
>I pointed out his remarkable, moderate tenure as editor of the
>Harvard Law Review. You responded - not with anything fresh or
>thoughtful - but with the completely discredited McCain talking
>points. You should listen to Colin Powell's (that notorious
>idealogue!) endorsement of Obama today......along with most
>newspapers in the country. He laid waste to the McCain lies, as so
>many others have done.
>But, your final sentance is absolutely accurate "Truth is hard to
>come by".
>
>
>
>Submitted by political_junkie on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 10:32pm.
>and better than 80% of Americans are against the idea. Obama clearly
>stated he was for the idea. Of course the answer to that brief moment
>of honesty has been to try and destroy the man who dared challenge
>him. I find nothing pragmatic about that, just the same old smoke and
>mirrors deception which you have so clearly fallen for. Obama is what
>he is, and you can't spin your way out of that. The question is, will
>he be a Jimmy Carter and press a to liberal agenda and destroy his
>own power, or will he be a Bill Clinton and pragmatically embrace
>where the country is going and co-opt others ideas as his own?
>It seems to me that the answer will be the second, but not until
>after a couple of losing battles. Both Clinton and Schwarzenegger
>followed that particular path. The only caveat I have to that is that
>Obama has spent a lot of time in a liberal echo chamber, and it may
>come as a shock to him that others, even in his own party, aren't
>going to go along with his marxist leanings.
>But then, they might just be clinging bitterly to guns and religion
>(a near perfect quote from Saul Alinsky.) Yeah, couldn't resist that
>other McCain talking point, just like the McCain talking point of
>"I'm going to spread that wealth around." I just hate it when McCain
>tries to make McCain look bad like that.
>Truth is hard to come by
>
>
>
>Submitted by brt929 on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 10:50pm.
>Where is the wealth "redistribution" that you claim? You mean because
>the wealthy will have to pay taxes too? Is that wealth
>"redistribution?"
>Your whole tirade is simply childish. You know full well that Obama
>did not hang with Ayers, nor did he lie about it. He did not choose
>the members of that board, and working together hardly made them
>pals.
>Even if they were the best of friends, Obama has shown himself to
>have much better judgment than McCain has. McCain's choice of Palin,
>his robot-calls about Ayers, and his inability to understand the
>financial crisis reveals that he does not belong in the Oval office.
>This is not the same McCain of 2000.
>You are so mired down in Republican double-speak, that you have lost
>all perspective on the issues. You used to be thoughtful, and immune
>to the GOP rhetoric, what's happened?
>
>
>
>Submitted by eatwhatyoukill on Mon, 10/20/2008 - 8:51am.
>We will see about the 80% in a couple of weeks.
>A rational tax system is a moderate stance. Repeatedly calling
>Obama's tax plan "wealth redistribution" does not make it so. Perhaps
>you would like to explain how lowering taxes on those making less
>that $250k /year is "redistribution". Do you have an AGI over $250k?
>It's simple. If you don't, you will get a tax break under the Obama
>plan. Obama will be a Clinton like figure in that he knows that this
>is a center - right country and he knows that results - even
>incremental results - are what counts. McCain has no fiscal plan that
>differs from Bush's. Any thoughts on Bush's $5 trillion increase in
>Federal debt and the fact that McCain voted against the Bush tax
>cut....until he decided he wanted to succeed W?
>The notion that Obama "destroyed" Joe the Plumber is pure pure Fox /
>McCain nonsense. After McCain put the poor guy in the public eye, the
>press (not Obama) moved in to show that every one of Joe's & McCain's
>premises was false if not a lie. The whole thing was emblematic of
>the lousy McCain homework and pathetic spin. And now the "destroyed"
>meme....come on!
>I would be interested in the Alinsky "bitter" quote.....or
>approximation.
>
>
>
>Submitted by foreignoregonian on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 11:47pm.
>----------
>If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just
>read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting
>and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho
>Statesman already in progress.
>
>
>
>Submitted by foreignoregonian on Thu, 10/16/2008 - 6:02pm.
>----------
>If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just
>read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting
>and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho
>Statesman already in progress.
>
>
>
>Submitted by erico49 on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 10:18am.
>McCain libertarian!! What a joke. He doesn't have a libertarian bone
>in his body.
>
>
>
>Submitted by foreignoregonian on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 11:56pm.
>----------
>If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just
>read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting
>and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho
>Statesman already in progress.
>
>
>
>Submitted by foreignoregonian on Sun, 10/19/2008 - 11:48pm.
>----------
>If this had been an actual troll post the attention seeking you just
>read would've been followed by screaming, name-calling and cutting
>and pasting for no apparent reason. We now return you to the Idaho
>Statesman already in progress.
>
>
>
>Submitted by DaveSkinner on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 12:46pm.
>For Rocky to call John a libertarian basically tells you what Rocky
>is. And his suggestion that George Miller would be interested in any
>sort of real collaboration is also indicative.
>One thing is certain: The West, at least the cultural and economic
>Old West, will not benefit much in this election. For McCain, the
>best case is benign neglect, pretty much the same as it was with Bush
>2. The only difference might be a little less neglect as shown by
>appointees such as Dale Bosworth/Mark Rey on one hand, and Gale
>Norton on the other, oh, and I can't forget Fran Mainella with
>NPS...funny how she jumped in bed with Bill Wade's Parks are for
>Bureaucrats, Not People the very day she was no longer constrained.
>If Lynn Scarlett is a carry over, the fact is that she's been a
>nonentity her entire tenure.
>With Obama, because he is so urbanized, I feel it certain that both
>the Forest Service and BLM, DOI and USDA, will wind up with the
>appointed slots being filled directly from the eco-groups. That will
>be the green "reward" for their loyalty and political support, to be
>allowed to punish the public lands dependent communities that will
>vote for McCain out of simple self defense?
>How about Jamie Clark at USFWS again; Gloria Flora leaving her goat
>farm for the USFS; Leshy as BLM Director --
>Scary stuff.
>
>
>
>Submitted by foreignoregonian on Sat, 10/18/2008 - 12:08am.
>Sealed by my some Hermes with a Tic in a Bartles and James box to
>remain crispy until the USPS got to my mailbox!
>You talk about SEVENTEEN HUNDRED in Ada County WELL!
>Those are the number of Oregonians who filled it out and didn't even
>have to USE A STAMP! Because WE have drop boxes...TODAY ALONE, on the
>way from WORK, in the privacy of their LONESOMES...
>Why it boggles the Idaho state government. And I'm Matthew
>LESKOW~~~HAH!!!
>In one way I'll ne able to compemplate how to gloat in a politcally
>correct manner (there is none) in three weeks or at least tell you I
>was the first in my precinct?
>No, not to get a Red Ryder BB gun. It's just the stupid Presidential
>race again.
>But let's GET IT ON!
>I'm gonna finish watching Woodstock!
>
>
>
Jerry Rogers
- The President will be different
- Tom Udall or Steve Pearce will occupy Pete Domenici's old Senate seat (even Domenici would not support Pearce until very late in the campaign).
- Tom Udall's old House seat will be occupied by a newcomer, almost certainly Democrat Ben Lujan.
- Heather Wilson's old House seat will be occupied by a newcomer, probably Democrat Martin Heinrich, but possibly Republican Darren White.
- Steve Pearce's old House seat will be occupied by a newcomer, possibly Republican Ed Tinsley and possibly Democrat Harry Teague (this is also Joe Skeen's old seat, and to have it actually competitive is almost unprecedented).
Denny
Denny Huffman
On Oct 20, 4:38 pm, "Richard Smith" <rsmith0...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Ugh, the idea of Steve Pearce of NM as a possible candidate for Secy of Interior under a McCain admiinistration is a horrible idea. He was a disaster as Richard Pombo's choice to be the Chair of the Parks Subcommittee where he served without distinction until the Dems became the majority party in the House.
>
> Rick Smith
> 2 Roadrunner Trail
> Placitas, NM 87043
> Tel: 505-867-0047
> Cell: 505-259-7161
> Fax: 505-867-4175
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Art Allen
> To: A Parklandwatch
> Sent: 10/20/08 12:49:47 p.m.
> Subject: PLW Update: Who Will Be The New Secretary of Interior????
>
> Who Will Lead Interior Under a New President?
> As the election nears its close, playing Name-That-Cabinet is more fun than Quote-Those-Poll-Numbers.
>
> Jill Kuraitis / 10-16-08 / de / NewWest
> The Idaho Statesman’s award-winning columnist Rocky Barker has an excellent review of who might be the next Secretary of the Interior, depending on who wins the presidential race.
> This is of particular interest in Idaho because former governor, U.S. senator and (and Boise mayor) Dirk Kempthorne (R) is the current head of Interior, where his reviews have been generally very good.
> Barker points out that the agency’s head is the country’s top wildlife manager of “more than 507 million acres of national parks, rangeland and wildlife refuges.”
>
> He would manage more than 600 dams that bring water to 31 million Westerners and irrigate 60 percent of all the vegetables grown in the United States. He would be in charge of the fate of 1,265 threatened or endangered species.
> He would be responsible for 68 percent of the nation’s oil and gas reserves and millions of acres of federal mining lands. The next president’s choice for Interior also will sit on the Cabinet, discussing the major issues that face the nation and the world.
> What a tall order in these difficult times.
> In a McCain administration, Barker muses about whether Kempthorne would stay on:
>
> Kempthorne has helped restore and grow funding for national parks, listed the polar bear as endangered, acknowledged the role of climate change, taken responsibility to clean up MMS and improved employees’ morale. Kempthorne has at least made the case that keeping him on through the transition would allow McCain to focus on the economy and other challenges.
> The convictions of Deputy Secretary Steve Griles for his dealings with corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff, the recent scandal uncovered in the Minerals Management Service and the blatant meddling in scientific decisions on listing endangered species undercut the integrity of the agency that has so much control over the West. All of these happened on the watch of Gale Norton.
> Kempthorne has helped restore and grow funding for national parks, listed the polar bear as endangered, acknowledged the role of climate change, taken responsibility to clean up MMS and improved employees’ morale. Kempthorne has at least made the case that keeping him on through the transition would allow McCain to focus on the economy and other challenges.
>
> Other names being suggested for McCain are Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colorado, and Rep. Steve Pearce R-New Mexico.
> Under a President Obama, Rep. George Miller, D-California, John Leshy, who worked at Interior when former Idaho Gov. Cecil Andrus was Secretary of the Interior, and Montana’s governor Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, are apparently being thrown around.
> Washington’s Roll Call has a few other ideas:
> Interior Secretary. Obama is thought likely to continue the trend of installing a westerner as interior secretary, especially if he runs strongly in sagebrush states such as Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. Napolitano is a possibility if she fails to get AG or DHS, while Wyoming’s Dave Freudenthal (D) would be a contender if he can be persuaded to forgo the wide open spaces for D.C.
> It’s also possible that Obama could turn to veteran House Democrats such as Norm Dicks (Wash.), chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies, or George Miller (Calif.), a former chairman of the Natural Resources Committee. While both would be hard-pressed to give up plum positions in the Democratic majority, they may wish to cap their careers with a Cabinet job.
> Western publication High Country News takes a look at who might serve under both men in “What the election means for the Interior Department.”
>
> Submitted by Rocky Barker on Thu, 10/16/2008 - 9:14am.
> One of the great parlor games of the West is to guess who the next president will choose as the Interior Secretary.
> The man or woman who will succeed Idaho’s Dirk Kempthorne will be the nation's top wildlife manager, federal landlord of more than 507 million acres of national parks, rangeland and wildlife refuges.
> He would manage more than 600 dams that bring water to 31 million Westerners and irrigate 60 percent of all the vegetables grown in the United States. He would be in charge of the fate of 1,265 threatened or endangered species.
> He would be responsible for 68 percent of the nation's oil and gas reserves and millions of acres of federal mining lands. The next president’s choice for Interior also will sit on the Cabinet, discussing the major issues that face the nation and the world.
> First look at McCain. Would he keep Kempthorne on? Any independent observer would have to say Kempthorne has helped boost the reputation of the Bush Administration after the Interior’s lowest moments since the Teapot Dome controversy.
> The convictions of Deputy Secretary Steve Griles for has dealings with corrupt lobbying Jack Abramoff, the recent scandal uncovered in the Minerals Management Service and the blatant meddling in scientific decisions on listing endangered species undercut the integrity of the agency that has so much control over the West. All of these happened on the watch of Gale Norton.
> Kempthorne has helped restore and grow funding for national parks, listed the polar bear as endangered, acknowledged the role of climate change, taken responsibility to clean up MMS and improved employees’ morale. Kempthorne has at least made the case that keeping him on through the transition would allow McCain to focus on the economy and other challenges.
> Others mentioned include Colorado Republican Sen. Wayne Allard, a states rights advocate who is stepping down from the Senate, Rep. Steve Pearce, a New Mexico Republican likely to lose to Democratic Rep. Tom Udall in their race for the Senate.
> Neither one of these picks will make environmentalists happy but Allard has supported some environmental projects in Colorado. If McCain wanted environmental support he might step out of the West and pick Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who has a great environmental record in the Senate. His wife, Honey’s father used to be the mayor of Couer d’Alene.
> One woman I would include is current deputy Interior secretary Lynn Scarlett. she was unscathed by the mismanagement under Norton and shares McCain's environmental, libertarian philosophy.
> For Obama I’m hearing California Democratic Rep. George Miller as a candidate. The former House Resources Committee chairman is an expert on Interior and has strong support among environmental groups. He buys into the new collaborative approach to public lands management. I watched him work on a committee at with Idaho Fish and Game Commissioner Cameron Wheeler at a collaborative workshop held in 2001 in Red Lodge, Mont. And they came away with common ground on a proposal on how to streamline federal land management decision making. He also has supported GOP Mike Simpson's Boulder-White Clouds wilderness protection bill.
> John Leshy, the former solicitor under Bruce Babbitt and Bill Clinton, and an Interior veteran going back to Cecil Andrus’ days there is another name that comes up. Leshy, a professor of law at the Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco also served as chief counsel under Miller in on the Resources Committee. He also has environmental support.
> Montana Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer would be the obvious choice since he has become one of the West’s leading voices on Interior and energy issues. But Schweitzer has said he wants to stay in Montana. We’ll see.
> Others thrown out there are Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, who is going to be up for several Cabinet posts including State, Rep Jay Inslee of Washington and Colorado Rep. Mark Udall, if he loses to Republican Bob Schaffer for Allard’s Senate seat.
> If he wants to go outside of government, Obama might choose Sally Jewell, CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc., and leader in the Initiative for Global Development, which is a group of business leaders seeking to end world poverty
>
> Submitted by eatwhatyoukill on Thu, 10/16/2008 - 12:46pm.
> the next Secretary will preside over a more competant and ethical department because I believe the other political appointees will be chosen based more on their competence and judgement than ideology.
> The incompetence and corruption in the Dept. of Interior under Bush is shameful and a disgrace to the Republican Party. Unfortunately, it was not confined to the Dept of Interior.
>
> Submitted by political_junkie on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 10:01am.
> It remains to be seen what Obama will do as a president, presuming he get's in. I am not at all confident that he will choose competence over ideology. Obama has surrounded himself with deeply ideological figures for a great deal of his life. I don't see him changing those habits now.
> McCain also remains to be seen, though he seems to be more pragmatist than ideological. His libertarian leanings could make a difference, but many bills he has backed in the Senate have been decidedly not libertarian.
> Of course,
>
>
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