Bush vs. Big Business? You Never Know

The Bush administration's recently-announced plan to force General Electric to pay for a $460 million cleanup of the Hudson River is designed to battle the popular impression that his White House, particularly on environmental issues, is operating under corporate sponsorship. But check out the fine print to the Bush plan: "The EPA did announce one substantive change to the original Clinton plan: the dredging will now be carried out in phases, with government scientists (and, likely, GOP pollsters) evaluating at each step whether the cleanup is an effort worth its while," reports Time magazine. "In other words, Bush and Whitman will have plenty of opportunities to back off from this fight in the years ahead."