Vichy Republicans

You think the Bidens and Liebermans are insufferable? There's something much worse than a Vichy Dem, and that's a Vichy Republican. Take Christine "It's my party too wait for meeeeeeeeee!" Whitman.

Whitman just got raked over the coals by a judge. I know what you're thinking--she's a Bushco official. This is news?

More details here.

A federal judge blasted former Environmental Protection Agency chief Christine Todd Whitman on Thursday for reassuring New Yorkers soon after the Sept. 11 attacks that it was safe to return to their homes and offices while toxic dust was polluting the neighborhood.

U.S. District Judge Deborah A. Batts refused to grant Whitman immunity against a class-action lawsuit brought in 2004 by residents, students and workers in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn who said they were exposed to hazardous materials from the destruction of the World Trade Center.

"No reasonable person would have thought that telling thousands of people that it was safe to return to lower Manhattan, while knowing that such return could pose long-term health risks and other dire consequences, was conduct sanctioned by our laws," the judge said.

She called Whitman's actions "conscience-shocking," saying the EPA chief knew that the collapse of the twin towers released tons of hazardous materials into the air.

Whitman had no comment, according to a spokeswoman. A Justice Department spokesman said the government had no comment. An EPA spokeswoman said the agency was reviewing the lengthy opinion.

The judge let the lawsuit proceed against the EPA and Whitman, permitting the plaintiffs to try to prove that the agency and its administrator endangered their health.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and reimbursement for cleanup costs and asks the court to order that a medical monitoring fund be set up to track the health of those exposed to trade center dust.

In her ruling, Batts noted that the EPA and Whitman said repeatedly -- beginning just two days after the attack -- that the air appeared safe to breathe. The EPA's internal watchdog later found that the agency, at the urging of White House officials, gave misleading assurances.

Quoting a ruling in an earlier case, the judge said a public official cannot be held personally liable for putting the public in harm's way unless the conduct was so egregious as "to shock the contemporary conscience." Given her role in protecting the health and environment for Americans, Whitman's reassurances after Sept. 11 were "without question conscience-shocking," Batts said.

The bold is mine. If it's true, and Whitman caved to her bosses in the White House, then she's even more dishonest and mealy-mouthed than I thought she was. Not only that, but she quite possibly endangered thousands of New Yorkers.

It's a little sad, actually. Ten years ago, Whitman was a rising star in the GOP--a popular moderate Republican governor. Another rising star was Colin Powell--why, there were people who thought he'd be a good president! Like Whitman, he caved in to Bushco. He is, after all, the guy who appeared at the UN to talk about Iraq's phantom WMDs. Speaking as someone who used to respect the guy, I think he should never, ever be allowed to live that down.

Powell and Whitman didn't just give in to Bushco. They lied and misled the American people under orders from the White House. Instead of being good Americans, they chose to be good Germans.

Then there's the wildly overrated McCain. He is neither a moderate nor a maverick, and he only takes a stand when it's a. easy and b. politically expedient. He recently spoke out against torture. Well, to paraphrase Chris Rock, what does McCain want, a cookie? You're supposed to oppose torture. And McCain still voted to confirm Abu Gonzalez.

The remaining "moderate" senators, like Specter and Snowe? Pft. Pushovers, all of them.

Other Republicans are just as pissed. Take former CIA analyist Larry Johnson, many months ago, talking about Plamegate:

I say this as a currently registered Republican: I wish Howard Baker was back in the Senate. I wish there was a Republican of some courage and conviction that would stand up and call the ugly dog the ugly dog that it is.

But instead, you know, I watched last night, John McCain on Chris Matthews' "Hardball," making excuses, being an apologist. Where are these men and women over there with any integrity to stand up and speak out against this?

During the 2004 elections, I was surprised to see how many old-school Republicans were deeply opposed to Bush. Even John Eisenhower, son of Ike, left the GOP and is now registered to vote as an independent. But these are all average citizens or retired politicians. Those Republicans in DC who aren't thugs or Talibaptists are too cowardly to do anything but make nicey-nice with the idiots in charge.