Reaction of Sen. Patrick Leahy to U.N. Ambassador John Bolton's Bid to Strike 'Respect for Nature' from Draft U.N. Statement of Principles
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/usnw/20050826/pl_usnw/reaction_of_sen__patrick_leahy_to_u_n__ambassador_john_bolton_s_bid_to_strike__respect_for_nature__from_draft_u_n__statement_ofFollowing are Sen. Leahy's comments about U.N. Ambassador John Bolton's efforts to strike a reference to the environment from the draft statement of principles now pending for the upcoming U.N. summit:
It didn't take long for Ambassador Bolton to find ways to further erode our leadership in the world and our standing as a moral authority. In his tantrum over this straightforward reference to the environment, Ambassador Bolton does not speak for most Americans, and I count myself among them.
"We are blessed with a planet that sustains life and the comforts we enjoy, but in so many crucial ways we are destroying the delicate fabric of life that supports us. The phrase that Ambassador Bolton finds offensive is an understated reference to some of the most urgent challenges we face, and they are challenges that we can't handle by ourselves. We need cooperation from other nations. U.S. and world opinion are far ahead of ideologues like Ambassador Bolton in recognizing that far more needs to be done to improve our stewardship of the environment, which today is under siege on every continent -- from pollution and over-fishing of the oceans, to the destruction of forests and of wildlife biodiversity; and from the lack of potable water, to the pollution of our water sources by poor sanitation and industrial waste. The world has been slow to rise to these challenges, and acknowledging them at least is a first step.
"This is clearly a time for the Bush Administration to step in with the adult supervision they hinted that John Bolton would be getting as our U.N. representative."
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