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“It’s important to set a tone and to
lead,” explained George W. Bush when he ran for president.
“That’s exactly what [I] do.”
Well, actually, George, you have not led. In fact,
you’ve been inert — almost comatose — on maybe the
biggest issue of our time: global warming. The seriousness of climate change, however, has
reached such profound proportions that even Bush can no longer stick his
head in the slush and pretend that his beloved fossil fuels aren’t
the primary culprit, so, to make a show of at least being awake,
Bush’s handlers recently set him up as host of his very own two-day
international summit on global warming. Held in the cozy confines of the State Department
building in Washington, the 17 nations responsible for four-fifths of the
world’s climate-altering emissions were brought together for the
purpose of, well, of what? To hear Bush speak, of course. George the Leader
boldly declared that nations should set goals for reducing greenhouse-gas
emissions and that an international fund should be set up to develop new
technologies for achieving those goals. Bravo! Then he abruptly left, cutting his speech short and
offering, in the way of specifics, much less tangible commitments to
action. Indeed, “the Leader” continues to oppose any mandatory
goals for cutting fossil-fuel emissions, insisting on a
“voluntary” approach — which includes volunteering to do
nothing. As for the tech fund, he set no amounts and offered no
contribution. Apparently the Tooth Fairy is to deliver the needed
technology. The delegates to Bush’s Global Warming Fest
were puzzled by why they’d wasted their time. As a British official
noted: “We could have another 20 years of talking about talking. We
need to start deciding about doing.”
But that would require a leader.
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator,
columnist, and author.
This article appears in Oct 25-31, 2007.
