Rumors fly about possible new Bush climate policy
First there was the tantalizing hint that President Bush’s thoughts on climate change have “evolved,” and that a major new energy initiative would soon be announced. Then there was the Onion-esque claim that Bush would announce a goal of stabilizing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere at 450 parts per million by the year 2106 (wouldn’t our great-grandkids be pleased?). Then Bush’s top environmental adviser told us to “stay tuned.” And finally, “administration insiders” confirmed that a flip-flop … er, Nixon-goes-to-China moment was in the offing. If this flurry of rumors and leaks is to be believed, Bush will soon announce measures to combat global warming, perhaps in his 2007 State of the Union address. Iain Murray, one of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s resident climate skeptics, grumbled, “We are left with the unpleasant conclusion that the only motivation is political.” On that, at least, we can all agree.
