by the Way . . .

Alfred E. Neuman, an unsuccessful candidate for president in 1968 and 2004, is rumored to be on the short list for Agency Czar, a new top layer for the recently combined agencies FEMA, CDC, and FDA. He ran for President with the slogan, "You could do worse, and always have!" He has dusted off the slogan in his bid for the Czar post.

Fred, Esterhaus to his friends, believes that the agencies should be more politicized. A strict constructionist, he has argued that the agencies should be limited to performing the functions specifically assigned to them in the Constitution. "While as a practical matter these agencies have for the most part observed those limitations, I feel there should be a greater effort to communicate this to the public so they would stop filing all those lawsuits."

Fred closeness with the administration is evidenced by his receipt of a Christmas card every year from Bush pere, even though he has never reciprocated.