Agency nominee withdraws

President Bush’s choice to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission withdrew his nomination Wednesday amid strong opposition from some Senate Democrats because of his career as a manufacturers’ lobbyist.

The White House said it was reluctantly accepting the decision by Michael E. Baroody after “some members in the Senate rushed to judgment.”

Baroody is a lobbyist for the National Assn. of Manufacturers. His critics on Capitol Hill said he would not provide the leadership the agency needed to protect consumers.

Democrats also had raised questions about a $150,000 payment that Baroody would have received from the manufacturers’ lobbying group when he left to take the government post.

The White House took issue with the critics, who included Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama. Baroody had served in the Labor Department, where he was assistant secretary of policy during the Reagan administration.

“The president selected Mr. Baroody to serve in this position because of his strong commitment to protecting American consumers, his impressive leadership record and extensive public service,” the White House said in a statement. “We are disappointed he will not have the opportunity to strengthen the CPSC’s ability to protect American consumers.”

The White House said “it became evident to Mr. Baroody that he would not be confirmed.” The statement added that the process would begin immediately to find “another qualified and committed leader to serve in this important position.”

A hearing before a Senate panel on Baroody’s nomination had been scheduled for today. Democratic Sens. Bill Nelson of Florida and Richard J. Durbin of Illinois wrote Bush last week saying the nomination should be withdrawn.

Obama said Baroody’s nomination highlighted the need to slow a revolving door that creates conflicts of interest between government officials and the industries they are supposed to be overseeing.

The manufacturers’ association president, John Engler, said Baroody was the victim of an “unprincipled smear campaign ... aided and abetted by unethical release of his financial records.”