Some of us had high hopes for Stephen Johnson when President Bush appointed him in March 2005 as administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Really?  Geez, I kinda guessed from the start he would be a doll.

But then again, I'm not known for bein' the most optimistic person in these parts...

Let's get to the root of the problem.  Results like these are the only logical outcome in a political system where the executive branch has too much power.  The Hamiltonians insisted that the executive branch be powerful in order to maintain power in the hands of those with the most money and power already.  A much more representative system would have Congress appoint department heads and have those departments be under the legislative branch, not the executive one.  Presidents are the least representative of all politicians elected to federal office, and should thus have the least amount of power.  Instead, they have had the most.

Here in the depths of the EPA trenches, it bacame clear pretty quickly that Johnson would be an Adminstration tool.  

There's been lots of evidence that he thinks it's really cool that he gets to hobnob with the big boys. So of course he's going to do what they tell him.  He wants to stay in with the in crowd.  

Don't you know it's REALLY fun to ride up to the White House in a big black limo?

because he's out of a job when (God/Florida willing) Obama gets elected.  He's tethered himself to a sinking ship.

-Max Epstein