I think the criticism is reasonable, though. Roemer has been a self-declared Republican for 23 years. Painter seems reasonable and thoughtful, but when making

I think the criticism is reasonable, though. Roemer has been a self-declared Republican for 23 years. Painter seems reasonable and thoughtful, but when making political judgements it's tough to overlook his connection to the Bush administration. Centrist and liberal observers can be forgiven for being suspicious of a committee with two Republicans and a techno-liberal. I don't envy the people who had to organize this, by the way. Either you set up an odd-numbered panel and expect a bunch of criticism or you setup a even-numbered panel and prepare yourself for stalemates and ineffectiveness. (I suppose you could have a very large odd-numbered panel and hope that the law of averages helps you remain balanced.)