Where "To Deny" is Always Transitive

The Bush administration doesn't just "slip things in" to regulations or law, it likes to muscle them in; ram them in, you know, boink the public.

In one more example, Alan C. Miller and Tom Hamburger of the LA Times (not exactly your flaming left wing publication) completely understood the Bushies' newest enviromental attack by starting their article like this:

Pushing aside new scientific studies of possible health risks, the Environmental Protection Agency approved an air pollution regulation this year that could save the wood products industry hundreds of millions of dollars.

The metaphor seemed to come so naturally that I think these guys have internalized the modus operandus. There is no subtlty or finesse with the Bush administration. After all, y'all don't mess with Texas.

Miller and Hamburger continued, "In doing so, the agency relied on a risk assessment generated by a chemical industry-funded think tank, and a novel legal approach recommended by a timber industry lawyer. The regulation was ushered through the agency by senior officials with previous ties to the timber and chemical industries.

The officials say they advocate a balanced approach to environmental regulation that weighs costs as well as benefits." (May 21, 2004). Now, you have to admit, that's truly amazing!

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