Bill Clinton kisses up to hunters

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, May 1996:

WASHINGTON D.C. – –
Fending off “vicious rumors that the
president is anti-hunting,” as one
White House official put it, Bill
Clinton on March 25 issued an executive
order recognizing hunters and
fishers as “first partners” in managing
the U.S. National Wildlife Refuges.
“Compatible hunting, fishing,
wildlife observation and photography,
and environmental education
and interpretation are especially recognized
in this Executive Order,”
Clinton said.

The order means hunting
and fishing may continue in the 274
of the 508 National Wildlife Refuges
that now permit them, until and
unless a refuge manager rules that
they are incompatible with public
safety and wildlife management. In
effect, Clinton implemented much
of the National Wildlife Refuge
Improvement Act, pending before
the House of Representatives, without
touching other controversial parts.
Commented Paul Bedard of
The Washington Times, “Mr.
Clinton’s election-year move stops
cold efforts by some in the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service to ban hunting
and fishing in the federal refuges.”
Objected National Rifle
Association spokesman Jim Manown,
“He’s pandering to America’s hunters
in an election year.” A longtime
NRA goal is to open a l l N a t i o n a l
Wildlife Refuges to hunting