Contempt For Competence, Redux

Say you're a former mining executive. Your mines have had accident rates of twice the national average. What job will be perfect for you?

Well, according to the Bush Administration you're perfectly suited to be head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

So perfectly suited, in fact that when the Senate refused to confirm Richard Stickler (the fellow mentioned above), Dubbya used a recess appointment to put him in the job anyway, despite opposition from the United Mine Workers, the AFL-CIO, and the families of miners killed in the Sago Mine disaster.

But hey, what do they know? They're just the ones whose lives are on the line.

Contempt for Competence: It's the Dubbya Way of Doing Business.