Evans, a Texas oilman who worked as Bush's campaign chairman, would be mostly responsible for promoting trade opportunities for American companies in global markets. Every worker and every employer faces the challenge of competition from the world's farthest reaches. Our job will be to ensure that those challenges are turned into opportunities. Several senators raised questions about how the incoming Bush administration would decide whether to use population totals derived from a statistical system called sampling for redrawing congressional district boundaries. Democrats contend sampling provides a better count of the poor, urban residents and minority groups.
Republicans disagree, saying a simple head count is more accurate.
Experts within the Census Bureau, which is part of the Commerce Department, are reviewing the issue. Evans said he could not comment until he had an opportunity to review the experts' recommendations. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who lost to Bush last year in the Republican primaries and who has been a leading supporter of campaign finance reform, cautioned Evans that he needed to be careful to keep the department above political pressures. May thier hearts not be further burdened by such arrogance. May they be less decieved by your foolishness.