Pick for Interior Said to Show More Charm Than Substance
BOISE, Idaho — He rides motorcycles, battles a bad back, does a killer impersonation of fellow Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and sometimes forgets to balance his checkbook.
Even those who don't like his politics call him "Dirk," the way he prefers to be addressed. And they speak of him like he's the guy next door who just happens to be governor.
But the ready smile and neighborly style of Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne don't always get the job done, some supporters and critics say. They contend that the man President Bush has picked to succeed Gale A. Norton as secretary of the Interior often exhibits more charm than substance.
Fellow Republicans and business leaders say Kempthorne, 54, knows how to create consensus but is too politically cautious. Local Democrats and environmentalists say that he is gifted at making people feel heard but that, at the end of the day, his loyalties lie squarely with development and corporate interests.
If confirmed, what kind of Interior secretary will Kempthorne be?
In the Idaho state capital, where he has been a major political player for two decades, many predict his performance will mirror that of his years as Boise mayor, U.S. senator and two-term governor -- a record of mixed success with a list of unfinished projects and a whole lot of people who refer to him as a good guy.
"His charisma carries him a long way. Even when we were at odds, he was very quick to approach our group with a smile and a handshake," said Roger Singer, the executive director of the local chapter of the Sierra Club from 1995 to 2004.
"He's very good at giving the appearance that he's listening closely to what you're saying," Singer said. "In the end, his votes have fallen along the conservative party line."
Singer cites two examples:
In the mid- to late 1990s, Kempthorne successfully brokered a deal -- protested by environmentalists -- allowing the military to expand a training ground into the Owyhee Canyonlands in southwestern Idaho. Kempthorne also succeeded in weakening federal protection of gray wolves, shifting control to the state.
Singer fears Kempthorne would continue his long campaign to water down the federal Endangered Species Act and would support oil-drilling in the Arctic and the sale of public lands to special-interest groups. Kempthorne, Singer said, has worked to overturn President Clinton's ban on building roads in wilderness areas.
