The Incompetence, the Corruption, the Cronyism: Sept. 24th, 2005 edition

The Incompetence:

FDA head steps down abruptly

Washington -- Lester Crawford, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, resigned abruptly Friday, causing further upheaval at an agency that has been in turmoil for over a year.

Crawford, who was confirmed just two months ago, on July 18, did not say why he was stepping down....

On Thursday, a commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine titled "A Sad Day for Science at the FDA" said that "recent actions of the FDA leadership have made a mockery of the process of evaluating scientific evidence," disillusioned many scientists, "squandered the public trust and tarnished the agency's image."...

Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., said the agency had been "politicized and degraded" under Crawford, whose leadership she described as "tepid and passive."

At the FDA, as at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Mikulski said, the Bush administration had brought "incompetent leaders into critical positions."

The Corruption:

Frist Knew About Blind Trust Investments

WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., was updated several times about his investments in blind trusts during 2002, the last time two weeks before he publicly denied any knowledge of what was in the accounts, documents show.

The updates included stock transactions involving HCA Inc., the hospital operating company founded by Frist's family.

Frist's sale of HCA stock is under scrutiny by the federal government. Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA said Friday it had received a subpoena from prosecutors for the Southern District of New York, asking for documents the company believes are related to Frist's sale of company stock this past summer.

The Cronyism:

Amid Many Fights Over Qualifications, a Bush Nomination Stalls in the Senate

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 - Faced with accusations that the Bush administration is stocking the government with unqualified cronies, the Republican chairwoman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is holding up the nomination of a lawyer [Julie L. Myers] with little background in immigration or customs to head the law enforcement agency in charge of those issues.

In addition to the questions about Ms. Myers, Senator Carl Levin of Michigan has objected to the nomination of Stewart Baker to be assistant secretary of homeland security for policy. Mr. Baker, who won committee approval despite Mr. Levin's opposition, is an accomplished technology lawyer, but he has little experience in disaster management.

At the same time, the Center for American Progress, a research institute for out-of-office Democratic policy experts, has questioned whether Andrew B. Maner is qualified for his position as chief financial officer of the Homeland Security Department, which has a budget of about $35 billion and more than 180,000 employees. Mr. Maner's main government experience before joining this administration was a job in the White House press office under the first President Bush.

The questions of credentials are not limited to homeland security. For example, the main experience of Brian D. Montgomery, who in June became assistant secretary for housing and federal housing commissioner, was performing advance work in the Bush presidential campaign of 2000 and in the current administration's first term.

Mr. Montgomery's responsibilities now include overseeing the $500 billion Federal Housing Administration insurance portfolio. His background in housing is limited to a few years as communications director of the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.