The Failed Presidency of George W. Bush
In his State of the Union address, President Bush threw away the last opportunity he had to save his historical legacy. He continued his business-as-usual do-nothing approach on global warming, which is the gravest threat facing the American way of life. As I wrote earlier in a column posted on the Center for American Progress web site:
President George W. Bush believes history will end up judging him favorably. He compares himself to Harry Truman who left office unpopular in large part because of a difficult war on the Korean peninsula but who is now admired by historians. President Bush suffers from an unpopular war, too, yet absent a dramatic reversal in President Bush’s climate policies–never mind Iraq–it’s a good bet that neither historians nor future generations of Americans will ever warm to President Bush.
Predicting the long-term consequences of the president’s misguided and mismanaged invasion of Iraq is impossible. But it is not at all difficult to detail the suffering that humanity faces because of global warming. If the United States “stays the course” with President Bush’s non-interventionist climate policies over the next decade, then by the third decade of this century all of American life–politics, international relations, our homes, our jobs, our industries, the kind of cars we drive–will be forever transformed.
The full column is here.
January 25th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
Precisely.
The deniers (GW included) will keep denying until the climate changes so drastically that they can’t ignore it anymore… of course by then it will be too late, changes will be catastrophic and saying “I told you so!” won’t make me feel a whit better about any of it.
What do you think about the recent announcement of a coalition between 10 huge corporations and environmental groups? Do you think these corporations are sincere? I guess in the end all we can do is wait and watch, but at least in the near future its good to build more momentum for our cause.
January 25th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Joe’s column states:
“John Holdren, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, warns that sea levels could rise seven feet to 14 feet by the end of this century.”
Yet he tells the KFPK audience that sea levels will rise 20, 80 or more feet by the end of the century.
Joe uses false GHG emissions data to blame GBUSH. Yet the data shows that U.S. GHG growth rates since 2001 are far less than they were in the 90’s.
Joe blames GBUSH for not investing enough Fed dollars in R&D, yet the GAO has found that Federal R&D dollars (in 2005 dollars) for energy efficiency research fell during the 90’s and has increased under this administration.
Joe has misrepresented, cherry-picked, and over-stated scientific studies and the facts repeatedly.
At climateprogress ideology trumps rationality.
January 25th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
Hippie, do you even realize how freakin insane you sound? I guess most insane people don’t.
Your whole argument doesn’t make any sense even if what you’re saying is true. Slower growth is still growth - and considering the gargantuan amounts of CO2 we emit as a nation already, even slowed growth represents a substantial increase. We’ve learned a lot more about global warming even over the last few years, and Bush is the “decider” NOW so its his duty to pull his head out of his ass and do something to stop it.
Kinda like Iraq - which means as a nation we’re screwed both ways. Iraq diverts precious resources, men, money, and time away from things that could really help humanity and maybe end terrorism. The war also distracts us from the real threats looming over us.
January 25th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
James Hansen:
“It’s not too late to stop and avoid the worst consequences. But we would need to get on the scenario in which we slow down the rate of growth of greenhouse gases, get that to flatten out.”
U.S. GHG emissions growth rates are slowing. Energy efficiency is increasing. Technology is improving. You ignore facts that “may be true” (no, they are true) and invoke a diversion into a debate about Iraq?
You want to ignore the over-representations of climate science from the disaster brigade here at climateprogress and debate Iraq?
Me thinks you don’t have an argument.
January 26th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Hippie: Every statement of yours is false, but I especially don’t like being misquoted. Never said seas would rise 20 to 80 feet this century. I agree with Holdren, and several feet would be a catastrophe of your making, since you council inaction.
January 26th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Your quote on KFPK:
“…we are going to be facing 20 feet of sea level rise and possibly even 80 feet in the coming century or more.”
And I don’t council inaction. I just don’t approve of politcal smears couched in false science. But keep on building your straw towers so you can strike them down.
January 26th, 2007 at 5:33 pm
FACING 20 feet and possibly 80 in the coming century and beyond. Yes, on our current emissions path (i.e. if we heed your counsel), 20 to 80 feet of sea level rise will be unstoppable by century’s end, but actual sea level rise in 2100 may only be 7 to 14 feet (a la Holdren) and rising 6+ inches a decade.
June 27th, 2007 at 7:12 am
The boy has made us hated worldwide.
He has made us the laughing stock of everyone who possesses the capacity for abstract thought.
I hope he will be locked up for his antics.
January 4th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
Deja Vu.
Bush runs the oil companies he operated into the ground then is bailed out and taken over by mid-east oil dollars.
Now he runs the country into the ground which is now being propped up, bailed out and taken over by mid-east oil dollars.
Deja Vu
I guess they made him another offer he could not refuse.
9-11 Investigation in order
UncleVito
March 13th, 2008 at 11:52 am
hi! good text
June 4th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
WHAT PRESIDENT HAS EVER STARTED A WAR COSTING THOUSANDS OF BEAUTIFUL LIVES AND TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS WITH NO END IN SIGHT?? NOT TO MENTION THE WORST ECONOMY (ALMOST DEPRESSION-LIKE) SINCE I CAN REMEMBER, MORTGAGE AND AIRLINE DEBACLES, ILLEGAL ALIENS APLENTY, AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER LAYOFFS AND PLANT CLOSE-DOWNS, GLOBAL WARMING HEAD-IN-THE-SAND, AND LETS NOT FORGET THE FOUNDATION OF OUR ECONOMIC WOES, SKYROCKETING FUEL COSTS. HILLARY WAS RIGHT WHEN SHE SAID THAT IF YOU ARE MIDDLE-AMERICA, YOU ARE INVISIBLE TO THIS PRESIDENT AND ANYONE CONNECTED TO HIM. DON’T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU IN THE ASS ON THE WAY OUT !!!!