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Anonymous
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LIFELONG REPUBLICANS SWITCH TO OBAMA
By WILLIAM D. RUCKELSHAUS and RUSSELL E. TRAIN
The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 1, 2008
As former administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency, we have served three presidents as their principal advisers responsible for the implementation and enforcement of our nation's environmental laws. We are lifelong Republicans. Yet after much thoughtful deliberation we have decided to support Barack Obama in his bid for the White House.
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William D. Ruckelshaus served as the first and fifth administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under Presidents Nixon and Reagan, was acting director of the FBI, and served on the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.
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Russell Errol Train was the second EPA Agency Administrator, from September 1973 to January 1977, serving Presidents Nixon and Ford.
Train is a WWII veteran serving at the rank of Major. He was a judge for the U.S. Tax Court from 1957 to 1965. He was President of The Conservation Foundation from 1965 to 1969 and Under Secretary of the Department of the Interior from 1969 to 1970. Between 1970 and 1973 he was Chairman of the newly formed Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).
The presidential bid of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is getting a boost from three former chairmen of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Former SEC chairmen William Donaldson, Arthur Levitt and David Ruder will announce their support for Mr. Obama this afternoon, three months after former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker endorsed the Democratic candidate.
Mr. Donaldson was appointed by President Bush, while Mr. Ruder was appointed by President Reagan and Mr. Levitt by President Clinton.
Mr. Volcker was appointed by President Carter.
“We believe Senator Obama can provide the positive leadership and judgment needed to take us to a stronger and more secure economic future,” the banking leaders said in a joint statement issued today.