The Washington Post reports that George W. Bush has taken a Texas-size step onto Al Gore's turf by introducing his own environmental plan, which is heavy on business-friendly "brownfields" programs. (The programs encourage businesses to rehabilitate pollution-blighted sites.) The Rust Belt audience for Bush's announcement didn't exactly deafen him with cheers, according to the Dallas Morning News.

The Texas governor, according to the Associated Press, also took a shot at Gore's greener-than-thou tome "Earth in the Balance." "I think the vice president is probably going to have to explain what he meant by some of the things in his book," Bush said. Bush will surely be especially interested in Gore's explanation, since he later acknowledged that he has never read the book.

Gore's campaign, the AP reports, greeted the Bush plan with outright contempt, calling Texas "the most polluted state in the country." -- Alicia Montgomery 4/4/00

Bush Environmental Plan is Conservative Republican. "In choosing brownfields as the topic of his first environmental speech, Bush picked an issue that enjoys broad support among Republicans, particularly moderate governors such as New Jersey's Christine Todd Whitman. On other environmental issues, Bush has tended to side with the more conservative leaders of his party; for example, he supports oil exploration in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge while opposing the United Nations' 1997 Kyoto protocol that requires industrialized countries to cut emissions of "greenhouse" gases blamed for global warming. Gore also has supported brownfields initiatives, both as a candidate and as vice president. But Bush's claim to be an environmental reformer drew scoffs yesterday from the Gore campaign, which noted that Texas slashed its budget for cleanup of hazardous waste sites by half--from $44 million to $22 million--from 1997 to 1998." more

The Bush Texas Environmental Record. "No amount of whitewashing can cover up Bush's record," Gore spokesman Doug Hattaway said. "He allowed his special-interest friends to help weaken environmental laws, and on his watch Texas is now the most polluted state in the country."

"Texas's abysmal ranking as one of the worst states for air and water pollution has long been a source of ammunition for Bush's political foes. In January, the Washington-based League of Conservation Voters singled out Bush as having the weakest environmental record of the major presidential candidates; other environmental groups have assailed the governor for relying on voluntary cooperation by industries to reduce air pollution.more

Photo: Houston is #1 for U.S. Smog.

Dear Politex, How can Mr. Gore support and protect the rights of a person who came here Illegally, using our American Justice System, American Court System, American Atty's allwhile waving the Cuban Flag in front of our face? Pack Your Bags. I have never been involved in a campaign election before, but I will campaign now to be sure Gore does not get into any Leadership position.

Dear Mr. Gore-Watcher, Do you consider yourself a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent?

If Democrat...Gore's doing exactly what Bush did when he castigated Lott and the other GOP members of Congress for not being concerned enough about the poor. Like Bush re Lott and Delay, he has to show the voters that he doesn't follow in lockstep with Clinton. Of course he's looking at votes, but so was Bush, and both will in the future.

If Republican...Gore's doing exactly what Bush was able to do earlier because it was easier for Bush to do re the GOP leadership, the above notwithstanding. Here's what Bush said about Gore's action... "I'm glad the vice president now supports legal residency for Elián González...I wish he could convince the rest of the administration of the wisdom of that approach." (NYT, 3/31/00)

If Independent...There are 111 candidates for president, so you have 109 left to select from. But watch it...many of those folks, like Pat, will agree with the Gore-Tex position.

As for the actual Gore-Tex position, it turns out that Gore was simply backing, along with Bush, a bi-partisan bill already in play. Here's what the NYT reports: "The legislation was introduced on Wednesday by Mr. Graham, a Florida Democrat and an oft-mentioned vice-presidential possibility for Mr. Gore, and by Mr. Mack, Republican of Florida. Mr. Smith, Republican of New Hampshire, who met with the boy earlier, said Senator Trent Lott, the majority leader, had indicated to them that the Senate might be reluctant to support citizenship for Elián, as Mr. Graham and Mr. Smith had proposed earlier, but that lawmakers might be amenable to this proposal for permanent residency. Still, Mr. Lott could not be reached for comment and there was no indication of the prospects of such a bill or whether the majority leader would allow it to the floor. In the House, a similar measure has been introduced by Representative Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey, the only other state with a significant Cuban population. Mr. Menendez's bill would give permanent residency status only to Elián, not to his relatives. Prospects for passage in the House are uncertain." (3/31/00)

So what bags should I pack, Mr. G? Where should I go? Do you plan to campaign against Gore-Tex, or will you campaign against Gore and pretend Bush hasn't done the same thing in the Elian case as well as other previous cases and is not capable of doing similar things, along with Gore, in the future. Please, sir, let's get real. --politex, 4/2/00

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