[The Westerner]

To tell you the truth, I haven't seen any evidence that he has a strong disagreement with environmentalism. He restored his ranch to a natural state. He may be in favor of ANWR because we need the oil. Otherwise, he doesn't pay much attention. He put a lightweight Republican woman in charge of Interior. He turned a blind eye to the suffering of the Klamath farmers. He doesn't seem to care about the principle of private property vs. government confiscation. Right now he may have put the brakes on implementing the Sierra Nevada plan, but eventually it will go through.

Bush is a terrific politician. He's positioning himself for his next Presidential run. He has to court the Western vote. Which way do you think the majority of urban voters think about preserving forests? It wouldn't be popular to take a strong stand against a popular environmental cause like "preserving the forest" in California--a state that is critical for him to win. This is pure speculation on my part, of course. And what do I know? I'm just a Westerner.

[snopercod]

Bush is a terrific politician. He's positioning himself for his next Presidential run

Translation: Bush cares more about getting re-elected than about property rights or the environment.