Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain Backpedaling On His Inaugural Climate Promise

[wtmusic]

From Obama's Second Inaugural Address:

We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.

At a fundraiser, yesterday:

When it comes to what I think will be one of the most important decisions that we make as a nation — this generation makes — the issue of climate change, we’re not going to be able to make those changes solely through a bunch of individual decisions that are made. We’re going to have to make some collective decisions about how much do we care about this when the science is irrefutable. And that means government is going to have a role to play in helping to organize clean energy research, and making sure that we’re taking into account the pollution that we’re sending into the air and that we’re encouraging new ways of delivering energy and using it more efficiently.

"we’re not going to be able to make those changes solely through a bunch of individual decisions that are made"
Translation: Keystone XL is just one piece of a complicated energy puzzle.

"how much do we care about this"
Translation: Some want to sacrifice the strength of the American economy blah blah...

"encouraging new ways of delivering energy and using it more efficiently"
Translation: The Keystone pipeline is the most efficient way to deliver energy that would probably, likely, might have gotten to port anyway...

We're fucked.

[hatrack]

1. Yeah, after so many weak-kneed moments, this will be the cherry on the dogshit sundae

Watch your Friday afternoon news dumps for the next few months. My bet would be sometime before a long holiday weekend . . .

[Socialistlemur]

2. We do need new energy sources

But the need isn't urgent. I fully support president Obama.

[cprise]

5. You probably should have that tagline engraved and hung on a wall. n/t

[JoePhilly]

3. Wow, you must have some type of powerful decoder ring.

I'd think you'd bold the phrase collective decisions because that suggests government action, rather than "individual decisions" which seems to reflect what you or I might do individually.

He mentions the overwhelming judgment of science and the science is irrefutable. Seems to be consistent.

Honestly, I don't see anything upsetting or out of synch in what he said in either statement.

So I guess my point would be that if you want to generate some outrage on this topic, you're going to have to do better than this.

Currently, the DU outrage is all focused in another direction.

[wtmusic]

4. Not my ring

but I agree with this assessment:

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/06/07/2120321/obama-cya-on-kxl-presidents-once-soaring-rhetoric-on-moral-urgency-of-climate-action-crash-lands/