A bureaucrat struggling for power in Washington has to tread a fine line: he must push his ideas vigorously, but not so vigorously as to offend those who have more clout than he. Federal Energy Administrator John C. Sawhill stepped over the line, and last week he paid the price. President Ford held a surprise news conference to announce Saw-hill's resignation, which Ford had requested the week before. It was the first public—though gentlemanly—sacking of a top official since Ford took office.
The episode cemented the power of Secretary of the Interior Rogers C.B....
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