Pass Pelosi/Waxman bill? Snowball's chance in...

...hell. Bush said flatly, "I never second-guess myself." Nor does he ever admit he's wrong. Ain't no way he'd ever sign this bill even if it got to his desk. Which it won't. Not with this Republican Congress having to sign off on it...which they absolutely will not. Nice thought, though I suspect Pelosi and Waxman wrote it up to show Dems they don't approve of cronyism, knowing it would go nowhere.

Waxman and Pelosi Introduce Anti-Cronyism Bill
By Rep. Henry A. Waxman
t r u t h o u t Statement
Tuesday 27 September 2005

Washington, DC - Today Rep. Henry A. Waxman and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi introduced the Anti-Cronyism and Public Safety Act, which would prohibit the President from appointing unqualified individuals to critical public safety positions in the government.

"President Bush has handed out some of the country's most difficult and important jobs - leadership positions in public safety and emergency response - to politically well-connected individuals with no experience or qualifications," Rep. Waxman said. "This common sense legislation will end this practice and ensure that public safety is back in the hands of those who are trained and experienced in protecting the public."

The bill would require any presidential appointee for a public safety position to have proven, relevant credentials for that position. In addition, the legislation bars from appointment to an agency any individual who has been a lobbyist for an industry subject to the agency's authority during the preceding two years.

"As Hurricane Katrina tragically demonstrated, serious consequences result when unqualified cronies are appointed to federal public safety positions," Pelosi said. "The Bush Administration's culture of cronyism comes at the expense of public safety. It is unconscionable and must stop immediately - it is literally a matter of life and death. This legislation is critically needed, and I thank Mr. Waxman for his strong leadership in protecting the American people."

Subject to the bill are specific senior-level emergency preparedness offices at the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as any position with the primary function of responding to a direct threat to life or property or hazard to health.

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