By
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Some honeymoon.
Not three months into the Bush presidency, chief environmental official Christie Whitman already has upset industry executives and conservationists, disappointed moderates who like her and angered conservatives who don't.
Whether clashing with Bush over carbon dioxide emissions or supporting him on arsenic in water, Whitman has found critics at every turn.
The conservation group Friends of the Earth has urged her to resign, saying decisions by President Bush had undermined her credibility as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Not a chance, Whitman replied.
"A lot of what I've read is wishful thinking by some people who would be just as happy to see me not a member of the Cabinet," Whitman, the former governor of New Jersey, said in an interview.
Nancy Risque Rohrbach, who served in the Reagan and elder Bush administrations and has known Whitman for decades, said her friend is accustomed to taking fire from all sides.
"Frankly," Rohrbach said, "you have to believe there was a reason for picking Christie for a job that is notoriously difficult."
Whitman's big-tent Republicanism and middle-of-the-road governing style should, in theory, keep her from being a polarizing figure. But because so many competing constituencies have high expectations for her, she invariably angers some of them.
As governor, she pleased Republicans by cutting numerous taxes but calmed Democrats by boosting spending on many state programs - covering the gap with a borrowing plan assailed by members of both parties.
Her outreach to black leaders collapsed in an uproar over racial profiling by state police. A libertarian candidate backed by abortion opponents and gun supporters nearly won enough votes to spoil her re-election bid in 1997.
Now Whitman is back in the spotlight at EPA.
"Conflict goes with the job," said former EPA administrator William Reilly, who butted heads with senior White House officials while serving under Bush's father. "The job is part overseer of the regulatory process and part advocate of progressive environmental priorities. That balance is not one that's totally under the control of the administrator."
Rohrbach and other friends insist Whitman has not exhibited any frustration, even after a leaked memo showed she tried but failed to steer White House policy on global warming.
Whitman in many ways takes after her politically active parents, who were centrist "Rockefeller Republicans" but never let ideology get in the way of party unity.
"She's always been a Republican team player," said Raymond Bateman, a former New Jersey state senator who helped recruit Whitman into local politics in the 1980s. "She's a party loyalist. She knows Eastern moderate Republicans aren't exactly loved around the country."
In her first month at EPA, Whitman pleased environmental groups - and startled industry groups - by saying the administration was considering limits on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants to combat global warming.
In March, Bush backed down from the idea and aides said a campaign pledge on the topic had been a mistake. Whitman took much of the heat when conservation groups and some congressional Republicans protested.
Whitman then announced the administration would rescind a Clinton administration rule to slash the acceptable level of arsenic in drinking water. Leaders in Western states, which have the highest arsenic levels and would have faced the greatest costs to comply, applauded the move. Whitman promised the administration would come up with a new standard.
By then, however, even some of her supporters were questioning whether Whitman was helping to craft administration policy, or just defending it.
"The president's decision on carbon dioxide really cut the legs out from under her and damaged her credibility," said Frank O'Donnell, executive director of the Clean Air Trust, which praised Whitman after Bush nominated her in December.
In an interview, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card called Whitman "candid, strong, and a team player." He said Bush's choice to treat her like a member of the Cabinet - not something automatically afforded the EPA administrator - was a sign of his respect.
Card also made clear the limits of her authority.
"She is not the least bit bashful about offering advice to the president," Card said. "But she's also good at implementing decisions the president makes."
By all accounts, Bush and Whitman remain close friends. Bush hosted Whitman and her husband, John, at Camp David the last weekend in March. Whitman said the primary purpose was to reunite her dog, Tokay, and his dog, Barney, who are siblings.
When possible, Whitman spends other weekends back home in New Jersey.
"It's important for my sanity," she said.
