LETTERS: BUSH'S SCHEME TO STACK SENATE DIDN'T PAN OUT

To the editor:

As all are now aware, there was a rumor that U.S. Sen. John Breaux of Louisiana was being considered by President-elect George W. Bush for the post of secretary of energy in his incipient administration. I was hoping that Breaux would carefully examine Bush's motives and then turn down the job. My hope panned out.

My suspicion is that Bush merely wished to diminish the Democratic presence in the Senate. If Breaux had come from a state with a Democratic governor, Bush would have seen no percentage in offering the job to him. If my nasty suspicions about Bush's motives are true, then I believe that Breaux would have been justified in viewing any such offer less as an honor and an opportunity to serve than as a cynical insult.

Of course, there was always a way to set my villainous mind at ease. Either Bush or Breaux could have gained a commitment from the governor of Louisiana, in advance of Breaux's acceptance of the job, on the score of whom the governor intended to appoint to Breaux's vacated Senate seat. If the governor's senator-designate did not pass muster with Breaux, then Breaux could scotch the deal.

DONN S. MILLER

Tamms, Ill.