Along with the legacy of greed and war, the Bush administration will be leaving the U.S. children some filth of the toxic kind. Though nearly 30-million Americans live within 10 miles of military bases sullied by toxic chemicals, and despite the fact that 125 of those bases are considered priority clean-up sites under the Superfund program Bush likes to pat his back for, the Pentagon has resisted the clean-ups every step of the way.

During his last campaign, Bush promised to make the Pentagon "comply with environmental laws." The records, however, show that the White House has backed the Pentagon as it repeatedly refuses to finance clean-ups, dismisses environmental and health warnings and resists efforts to set contaminant pollution limits.

"All the numbers are consistent with an overall trend," said Sylvia Lowrance, a retired EPA official. Though the EPA had advanced in their ability to deal with renegade Defense Department actions in prior years, Lowrance asserts the "direction has changed in this administration."

» Scott Saxon