On her perch at the CBS News Blog, CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric bemoans the prospect that Al Gore’s Hollywood routine might turn off the same mainstream America who need to be convinced about the “climate crisis” (d’ya think?).
Unfortunately, that uniquely sagacious insight from the Left is then lost in the dust of some rather routine blather about George W. Bush and climate change, including the rather clueless:
And yet, after a period of time of not conceding global warming even exists, President Bush used the term “climate change” for the first time and has talked about a way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. It seems like we’re reaching critical mass when it comes to this issue. And all the experts agree. [OK, I gratuitously left in that part about appealing to the authority of Bush’s stance, and the nugget about universal agreement just to antagonize those who actually follow this issue].
Now, to accept this absurdity that Bush has just now broken the seal by having allowed the words “climate change” to cross his lips, after two campaigns for the Oval Office and late in his second term of office, one must not just pretend that Al Gore’s Internet doesn’t exist — that is, in quarters outside of Couric’s office, apparently — but must also accept that the Perky One views her environmentalist Doppelgangers such as the National Environmental Trust as liars. That is, Gang Green have long complained about Bush not matching acknowledgement of climate change and man’s role with agreement to the train wreck that is the Kyoto Protocol or at least Kyoto-style rationing (neither stance, of course, was adopted by Bush’s predecessors, FWIW).
For example, NET offers a Bush/Kyoto “Timeline of Events,” including the following fairly prominent entry:
June 11 — President Bush delivers a White House Rose Garden speech on the issue of climate change. While he seemingly acknowledges the existence and dangers of global climate change, once again there is no decisive course of action taken or announced. (6/12/2001 Chicago Tribune, “More study needed on warming, Bush insists”)
The White House cleverly disguised this talk, with a release styled “President Bush Discusses Global Climate Change,” and Bush rakishly masked the content of his talk by opening with “THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I’ve just met with senior members of my administration who are working to develop an effective and science-based approach to addressing the important issues of global climate change.” (Aha, he said global climate change!…climate geeks, insert Oreskes-search-criteria joke here.)
Indeed, Bush has referenced “climate change” in press conferences, Rose Garden speeches, and in availabilities with visiting dignitaries on many, many occasions, even acknowledging not just the truism that climate changes but that man likely has a role. This quite clearly matters not. Alas, yet again, we see how little actual informed commentary matters in the environmental “debate.” It’s feelings that count. And Katie prefers to feel that Bush is behaving as she wants to feel he is. Things are much more orderly in the world, imaginary though it must inherently be, where people play to to our stereotypes and cocktail banter.