| Republicans keep talking about how President Bush represents a change in the character of government. A shift toward a more honorable and moral kind of leadership. But this week Americans caught a glimpse of the true nature of this administration. And it is anything but moral.
During the campaign, candidate Bush promised that if elected he would seek to regulate power plants’ emissions of carbon dioxide. That’s a huge promise. Scientists all over the world are raising the alarm about global warming, and there’s almost universal agreement that carbon dioxide is a key contributor to the problem.
Bush’s pledge made it appear that he was listening. His promise helped allay voter fears about how his administration might handle environmental issues. Poll after poll shows that the vast majority of Americans favor tough, tangible, environmental protection. Candidate Bush and his team recognized this fact, and made a calculated lie to win voter support.
President Bush isn’t a moral leader. A truly honest person — a leader with real conviction — would have told the industry thugs lobbying him to go to blazes. A truly courageous leader would fight to protect our environment and say to heck with short-term corporate profits. It’s not as if this is some fringe issue. Bush’s own EPA Administrator, Christie Whitman, favored new CO2 regulation. Treasury Secretary Paul H. O’Neill has stated that the problem of global warming is on par with a potential nuclear holocaust in terms of demanding government action.
But in the end, Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney chose to bow to their corporate masters. The big polluters won the day. Mr. Bush’s spokesperson now says “CO2 should not have been included as a pollutant during the campaign. It was a mistake.” How convenient. How dishonest.
Ken Bennett
Bainbridge Island. | 
