Tom Ridge, the hapless head of Bush’s Department of Homeland Security, surprised no one yesterday by announcing his resignation. In looking over many of the reports on his departure, however, it seems most news outlets seem to have forgotten that Ridge indicated over the summer that he’s quitting so he can afford to send his kids to college.
Ridge…explained to colleagues [in July] that he needs to earn money to comfortably put his two children, Tommy Jr. and Lesley, through college, officials said. Both are now teenagers. Ridge earns $175,700 a year as a Cabinet secretary.
That’s life in Bush’s America, isn’t it? The poor guy can’t afford tuition for two on $175,700 a year after seeing tuition costs soar since Bush took office. And if a cabinet secretary can’t get by on his salary, what are the rest of us supposed to do?
I realize, of course, that Ridge probably had other motivations for leaving. Indeed, Ridge may have come to realize that serving in Bush’s cabinet is a useless exercise since the White House has stripped the agencies of their power and effectively done away with the notion of Cabinet government.
When he was still at the White House, Mr. Ridge joined with the Environmental Protection Agency in considering new safety rules [for chemical plants] in 2002. But after the oil and chemical industries met with Karl Rove, the president’s political adviser, and other senior aides, the White House quietly blocked those efforts, current and former officials say.
That effectively sums up the Bush administration in a nutshell. It also sends a message to potential Ridge replacements — you can take the job, but Karl Rove’s power and corporate agendas will always trump your efforts.