washingtonpost.com

Christine Todd Whitman Resigns
The Associated Press
Wednesday, May 21, 2003; 9:57 AM

Christine Todd Whitman, who has often been at odds with the White House over
environmental issues, submitted her resignation Wednesday as administrator
of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Whitman said in a letter to President Bush that she was leaving to spend
time with family.

"As rewarding as the past two-and-a-half years have been for me
professionally, it is time to return to my home and husband in New Jersey,
which I love just as you do your home state of Texas," she wrote Bush.

With Whitman's departure, Bush loses one of the most prominent women in his
Cabinet - a moderate former New Jersey governor selected by the president to
help soften his image as a political conservative, particularly on
environmental issues.

Whitman had a history of clashing with the White House, starting with the
president's abrupt decision to withdraw from the international global
warming treaty. She had been the administration's point person in rolling
back environmental protections initiated by previous administrations.

As his re-election campaign gears up, Bush's senior staff and advisers
consider the next few months as optimum time to leave the government;
otherwise, they will be expected to remain aboard until after the 2004
election. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer announced Monday that
he will resign in July.

Bush will be under pressure to replace Whitman with a nominee who will
acceptable to his GOP supporters without alienating swing voters who tend to
be wary of Republicans on the environment.

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