Ahhh, you have to love armchair quarterbacks (including this one). The latest interesting analysis to come to my attention stems from The New Republic, that left-leaning periodical. In its on-line edition the magazine carries a story about hacks in the Bush administration. More specifically, the magazine has come up with a list of the 15 biggest hacks in the administration. And while most have no relevance to national parks, No. 12 stands out: Paul Hoffman.

    Hoffman, of course, is the Interior Department assistant secretary who rocketed to environmental infamy earlier this year when he proposed a massive rewrite of the National Park Service's Management Policies so as to allow much more motorized recreation in the parks and to substantially raise the bar as to what constitutes an "impairment" of park resources.
    Here's a snippet from the article explaining why The New Republic considers Hoffman a hack:
        "In April 2003, he went against the wishes of the staff of Yellowstone and asked the U.N. World Heritage Committee to remove the park from its 'In Danger List.' Last year, he overruled geologists at the Grand Canyon National Park and instructed the park's visitor centers to stock a creationist book that explained how God made the canyon 6,000 years ago, ordering up a flood to wipe out 'the wickedness of man.'"
    To read the rest of the explanation, visit The New Republic. You might have to fill out a short access form, but there's no charge.