The team President-elect Barack Obama introduced on Monday to carry out his energy and environmental policies faces a host of political, economic, diplomatic and scientific challenges that could impede his plans to address global warming and America’s growing dependence on dirty and uncertain sources of energy.
Acknowledging that a succession of presidents and Congresses had failed to make much progress on the issues, Obama vowed to press ahead despite the faltering economy and suggested that he would invest his political capital in trying to break logjams.
“This time must be different,” Obama said at a news conference in Chicago. “This will be a leading priority of my presidency and a defining test of our time. We cannot accept complacency, nor accept any more broken promises.”
To criticize the public would require starting at the top. People expect examples of their leaders making sacrifices, how large was the check that Bidden wrote the treasure after telling others they needed to chip in more for the national government. Did I miss the announcement that Obama was going to give the royalties from his books to the government as an example for Hollywood and other Rich supporters to help get the country over our current problems? Seems some progressives can only desire to gain power so the huddled masses can be made to support their projects.
Set the example and we will follow, continue to complain and you will be all alone.
Sorry for the above out of place comment it was meant for the following thread.
Ignoring Obama’s team for the moment, there is so much wrong with the posted article in a journalistic and scientific sense I can only say that if the drivel is removed it might be possible to cobble the remainder together into two short paragraphs.
Chu aside — he’s the front-man for credibility — the rest are by-and-large political hacks and administrative wonks. Browner’s EPA was bad enough that it got a second-generation USDA bureaucrat (and 5th generation Democrat) friend to start voting Republican.
Obama’s challenge was to recognize the significant (and growing) scientific opposition to the theory of anthropogenic global warming. Over 600 leading earth scientists have declared that there’s no there … there. The most recent International Geologic Congress was replete with paleo-climate papers completely undermining the core premises of AGW. Astronomers, and Canadians in particular, are more concerned about a possible return to the ‘Maunder Minimum’ period of profoundly cool climate lasting several generations. Think about winters of the late 17th Century.
None of this is reflected in Obama’s team, so he has already failed the test, as it were. He’s fallen into the common logical trap of “confirmation bias” — ignoring or avoiding evidence contradicting currently held opinions. Given his monumental ignorance of economics [i]and[/i] energy, that is not a good sign.
It is entirely feasible, within a decade, to eliminate America’s dependence on all foreign sources of energy except Canada. The current Obama team, however, is more or less blind to that potential. I must add here that a McCain team would probably have been just as bad.
We are surrounded by insurmountable opportunities. Our political class, on both sides of the aisle, is abysmal. “Put not your trust in princes … ” (Ps 146)
“If you repeat a lie long and loud enough, it is seen as the truth”. I’m afraid that this has been the case with anthro. Global Warming. The pro-side has successfully silenced the natural cycle side for so long, that now that it is finding a voice, those who matter have been converted and won’t even listen to any dissenting opinion (“There is no debate!” Al Gore).
And when the dissenting reports are raised, the scientists are vilified and smeared or discredited in an attempt for the ‘majority’ to hold on to the power and prestige of their opinions. (“those who disagree with us need to shut up and let us get on with the business of saving the earth” — Al Gore, Earth in the Balance).
Obama and his team are indicative of this type of group-think.