More Condi Incompetence: "Safe to Breathe" at Ground Zero

From The New York Post:

Condoleezza Rice's office gave final approval to the infamous Environmental Protection Agency press releases days after 9/11 claiming the air around Ground Zero was "safe to breathe," internal documents show.

Now Secretary of State, Rice was then head of the National Security Council - "the final decision maker" on EPA statements about lower Manhattan air quality, the documents say.

Scientists and lawmakers have since deemed the air rife with toxins.

Early tests known to the EPA at the time had already found high asbestos levels, the notes say. But those results were omitted from the press releases because of "competing priorities" such as national security and "opening Wall Street," according to a report by the EPA's inspector general.

And what do we have ... about 70% of the rescue workers at Ground Zero have had respiratory problems since.

But hey, maybe there was a shoe store in the area Condi needed reopened pronto.