Leave ‘em laughing

As the curtain begins to fall on the Theatre of the Absurd that was the Bush presidency, its main player is wasting no time pushing the plot toward its culminating scene of ruinous idiocy in benefit of the industries that helped make the whole debacle possible. With a scant two months left to grit one’s teeth through, the Administration Formerly Known as Bush is hastily trying to alter environmental policy to better suit the reckless needs of industries who have until now been inconvenienced by it.

Endangered species will no longer be endangered, national parks will become prime power plant sites and a whole slew of polluters will see their waste federally sanctioned. Though a sitting president’s “midnight regulations” aren’t uncommon, Bush is beating his retreat with particular haste because the measures could be rebuffed if they’re not already in effect on the day the next dick takes office.

Despite the White House’s insistence to the contrary, Matt Madia of the non-profit accountability organization OMB Watch sees only more pandering in Bush’s swan-song legislation.

“This is going to remove government restrictions on (industry) activity,” Madia said, “and in turn they’re going to be allowed to pollute more.”

by SCOTT SAXON