If a Republican had to be elected president, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) would be the first pick for enviro heavyweight Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In Arizona yesterday, Kennedy attacked the enviro record of GOP presidential frontrunner, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, and said that he also considered McCain’s overall history on the environment to be poor. But he praised McCain’s stance on campaign finance reform, describing it as a key enviro issue. VP Al Gore took aim at Bush yesterday, saying Texas is the “number one” state in air and water pollution. Industry in Texas has recently had kind words to say about Bush and the environment. Bill Hammond, president of the Texas Association of Business & Chamber of Commerce, on Bush: “He recognizes government needs to get out of the way.” GOP candidate Steve Forbes, meanwhile, has charged that Bush, a scion of the oil industry, doesn’t know diddly about energy policy. And in other race-to-the-White-House-11-months-from-now news, Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chief ally of enviros in the House, has endorsed Bill Bradley over Gore.
