Backstage w/Supak: organic, progressive, environmentalist

"Get this: if the stimulus bill that passed the House, backed by the White House, somehow survives intact, the government would write a rebate check for $254 million to... Enron." -- Jonathan Alter, NEWSWEEK

I still want someone to take Resident Bush's dare and ask him about why price caps weren't put in place sooner on the west coast while Enron made at least $70 billion in a few months on the "crisis" in California? The administration was, at least for a while, against price caps "in principle." Yet, while saying that on the west coast, they were allowing price caps on the east coast. Alter's on to another track of investigation that's much bigger. Flat out influence peddling and gutting of government regulation of all kinds:

"Curtis Hebert, the former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, confirmed for me last week that he was “interviewed” by Ken Lay for his job. I later learned that at least three other candidates for commissioner were also “interviewed” by the man they were supposed to be regulating, presumably at the direction of someone in the Bush personnel office. Who decided on that? And where else was this favor extended? Did the heads of big telecommunications companies get to vet candidates for the FCC? How about agribusiness executives handpicking USDA officials or drug companies staffing the FDA? Just asking."

Well, Mr. Adler, the Resident dared us to ask. He didn't say he'd answer.