Ex- E.P.A. Director Christie Todd Whitman is about to testify to Congress tomorrow about how she mishandled the situation after the towers collapsed. But first she gave an interview to WNBC to do what almost all Republicans do before having to testify, blaming someone else. To her credit, she is aiming high, going after Presidential front-runner Rudy Giuliani. But of course, the truth lies in the middle, both of them are to blame for masking the quality of the air.
From The Daily News:
In an interview scheduled to run the day before Whitman testifies in front of Congress on Monday, she told WNBC-TV she warned the city of the risks almost every day.
And she said she believes illnesses killing first responders can be blamed on the city's lack of action.
"I'm not a scientist ... but I do [believe that]," she told WNBC's Brian Thompson.
Whitman specializes in political shillery (as do most good Bush appointees), definitely not having to do with anything scientific. She did run the E.P.A. and that certainly does not require any knowledge about science, right? Of course, she was aware that something bad was going on, two massive buildings collapsing into rubble would obviously have an adverse affect on the air quality. But for her to avoid all the blame is ludicrous. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) is getting ready to question her tomorrow and he already knows she has difficulty telling the truth. Perhaps he can ban the phrase "I don't recall" before the testimony begins.
|