Political appointees don't usually get a lot of press (unless they screw up -- right Brownie?), but former associate deputy administrator at the EPA Jason Burnett, who at one point was responsible for advising the agency head on climate change, has been generating a lot of buzz in the past few months. First, he ratted out the White House's involvement in California being denied its waiver at a Congressional hearing last month. Then, according to the AP, he resigned earlier this month because he did not believe any meaningful climate regulations would come out of this administration.

But, according to the LA Times, Burnett really left because he wanted to campaign for Obama, and has so far donated a total of $4,600 to the Democratic nominees's campaign.

So is Burnett, a Democrat, abandoning a sinking ship and trying to establish favor with whom he sees as the next administration so that he can land a cushier appointment? Does he feel remorseful about being a part of the Bush administration, and his part propagating bad policy like Clear Skies, which was seen as a ploy to weaken the Clean Air Act?

Who knows? We just hope that if Burnett is serious about his commitment to implementing sound climate change policy he'll do more than just fill the coffers of either candidate in the hopes of buying his way back into a well-paying job.