Reply #22: Even Nedra Pickler's usual GOP asskissing seems muted [View All]

[0rganism]

I was hard pressed to find a spontaneous dig at liberals, Democrats, or minority ducklings in the article. Perhaps I'm slipping, or could it be Pickler losing out to Gannon for the cushy pressroom jobs?

"The president, who often is at odds with environmentalists, was scheduled..."

Given, "often at odds" is a bit of a color phrase, but I think it's accurate in this case. Next clause,

"Environmentalists say Bush is not being a responsible steward... relying on the market rather than regulation to curb pollution."

If anything, that may be it. While tremendously understating the environmentalist position, it could be construed as making a half-hearted attempt to brand environmentalists with the "anti-business" tag. But if that's the most Pickler can do... well, let's continue.

'"healthy forests" law ... "clear skies" proposal ... Environmentalists call those labels deliberate misnomers.'

Well, yes. I think the GOP code talkers understand that too, and if I were one perhaps I'd find it amusing. At worst, then, this statement may be painting environmentalists as humorless, or at least not receptive to Bush's humor. No, this is really pretty weak stuff by Pickler standards.

I think someone at the whitehouse forgot to send Pickler the check this month.