At first I wasn't sure whether this article about Haliburton's lucrative business in Iraq - I love the fact that Rumsfeld is described as "a champion of outsourcing" - or this article about the free pass the Bush Administration has just given to industrial plant - among the world's greatest environmental abusers of all time - deserved greater outrage. But that's why I blog.

There's no question - it's hands down the relaxation of antipollution rules for everything from paper mills to oil refineries. And oh yeah - power plants too. I don't know which is more troubling - that the Big Blackout is being used as an excuse to NOT do what these guys should have done already. Or the implication that the events of August 14 might have been prevented if only we'd come to our senses sooner about new source review (NSR). And last but not least, there's no basis other than anecdotal evidence for making this decision - and I quote: "We wish we had better data, but we're confident this rule will not have an emissions impact."

And the icing on the cake? All of this is Bill Clinton's fault, according to the perpetrators. The military has to make such deals with private firms because of Clinton-era budget cutbacks to the defense budget - and wait, it gets better - and of course we can now blame Clinton for the Big Blackout since his administration had the unmitigated gall to update 20-year old Clean Air Act provisions and actually enforce the rule.

Is it me? Really, someone please tell me it isn't me.