July 21, 2003 -- Chris Horner: Send In The Clowns, Dem Candidates Senseless at NPR Green Pander-fest

As the introduction to “Helter Skelter” warned: what you are about to read will scare the hell out of you.

LCV Transcript (from NPR's coverage)

“HOST: Steve Curwood

[THEME MUSIC]

CURWOOD: From NPR, this is Living on Earth. The candidates are preparing to choose a candidate to challenge George W. Bush in 2004. And right now there are nine contenders trying to break free from the pack, and gain the momentum and money that front-runner status brings. Their views on the environment just may help set them apart from each other, and from President Bush…

KERRY: I want to be a president who asks the Americans to do the right thing. I believe that the sacrifices that are needed are the sacrificing of bad habits. And the sacrificing of selfishness. But we do not have to ask Americans to sacrifice quality of life.

[John Kerry advocates a federal mandate that Americans build thousands of windmills across the countryside to replace lower priced, reliable energy sources. John Kerry opposes the proposed Massachusetts wind farm because it disturbs the view from his Cape Cod seaside retreat. John Kerry is not selfish. He is just an elitist.]

[REPORTER]: Governor, you've had reservations, I understand, about the Kyoto Protocol. Can you give us your problems with the protocol and what would it take for you to support it?

DEAN: First let me say that we need to find a way to sign the Kyoto Protocol.

[The United States signed Kyoto on 12 November 1998. See http://www.bellona.no/en/ b3/air/climate/>buenos_aires/10952.html. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.]

[REPORTER]: …Senator Lieberman, how important, do you think is global warming, and what specifically would you do about it?

LIEBERMAN: Thank you, Warren. Global warming is the most critical, long-term environmental challenge that America and the world faces. This administrationhas been profoundly irresponsible in dealing with this. In fact, it pulled us out of the Kyoto Protocol to deal with global warming, and in doing so separated us from the rest of the world, in a way that's had profound and adverse consequences for our foreign policy.

[Actually, the U.S. remains a party to Kyoto, as its signature has never been renounced – and, as a Senator you may be interested to learn, the Senate has never voted for or against ratification. One of these acts, you are certainly aware, would be necessary in order to make your statement not false. Think, for example, of the Rome International Criminal Court treaty or Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, respectively. A quick check of the State Department website would reveal this. Relying on the New York Times for policy education will not].

…“I have been fighting to do something about global warming since I came to the Senate in 1989. I went to Kyoto and Buenos Aires. John McCain and I, today, have the most comprehensive, constructive, aggressive program to deal with global warming that anyone has yet produced. … It sets standards, caps. It would bring us back, or up [sic], to 2000 emission levels by 2010, and 1990 emissions level by 2016.

[Where to begin? This is the same guy who recently testified before John McCain’s Commerce Committee that 2002 would have been even warmer but our economy had slowed down. Seriously. So, as soon as we hear which year Kyoto Joe liked the weather best we can cap economic activity at that level and be done with it. Speaking of capping economic activity, kudos for claiming you have offered a proposal even bigger and badder than Kyoto. Though, in truth, it’s actually just Kyoto stretched out over a few more years. Of course, upon returning from Kyoto you did appear on “The News Hour” and said “Kyoto is a good treaty.” Though you voted in advance to instruct the President to enter no such deal. Which, under some hidden logic, is also why you seek to implement it now, despite it never having been ratified and you claiming that the U.S. somehow withdrew from Kyoto by President Bush saying mean things about it. You want to be the “Foreign Policy President”. Mmmm Hmmm.]

[REPORTER]: What sacrifices do we need to make?

LIEBERMAN: … We've got to break our addiction to oil-- and don't expect leadership on that front from an administration that is from oil, by oil, and for oil. As president, I'm going to do better than that. We've got to invest in new technologies.

[Windmills. 1000 years new. Pause for laughter from the Dutch. Solar panels, failing since the first solar bread oven of the 18th century. Note to Candidate: we exited the “renewables” age over a century ago when we found more reliable, efficient, and affordable sources to fuel prosperity.]

[REPORTER]: Let me go to former Senator Moseley-Braun, and ask you the same question. Do you think the American people are going to have to give things up in order to cope with the environment. Is that something that you think is going to be part of the Democratic campaign next year?

MOSELEY-BRAUN: This administration has lied to the American people, and we have failed in our responsibility in a variety of ways, emissions policy just being one of them, pulling out of Kyoto just being one of them.

[Ambassador Mosely-Braun, please report to the State Department website for internet training.]

[REPORTER]: Reverend Sharpton, new subject. Go ahead.

SHARPTON: You asking me the same question?

[You talking to me? You talking to me?]

[REPORTER]: Yes, 10 or 15 seconds, whatever you'd like to introduce.

SHARPTON: Environmental justice. …. I would also fight for the absolute cap on carbon dioxide, I would absolutely reenter the discussions around the Kyoto Accord.

[Please see Ambassador Mosely-Braun. Or, actually attend one of these discussions and marvel at the hundreds of U.S. government employees who never got the memo.]

LIEBERMAN: Did you know that criminal environmental enforcement is down 40 percent since Bush became president?

[Did you know that, if you were President, this would be proof that you had reduced environmental crimes?]

KERRY: God only gave us three percent of the world's oil. I'm proud that I lead the fight to stop the Arctic Wildlife drilling and I'm proud that John McCain and I lead a fight to raise the emission standards that we lost.

[We also got about 1% of the world’s saffron. Yet, we bring in more and more each year. As President I would implement a tough program to phase out all imports, especially those necessary to run the economy.]

“I intend to point out to the president that landing on an aircraft carrier at the hands of a skilled Navy pilot does not make up for rolling back every single environmental choice in this nation.

[No comment required. Sedatives, maybe.]

LIEBERMAN: Like most every other environmental law, this one is not being at all implemented by the Bush Administration. This is the most anti-environment administration in our history. Much worse than Reagan, and incredibly worse than the first President Bush.

[“I learned my sense of proportion while running with Al Gore.”]

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Chris Horner
chorner@cei.org