The Field is Narrowing

I try to keep an open mind, but this does it for me. John McCain is no longer on my list of potential Presidents. He and Joe Lieberman co-authored an opinion piece in the Boston Globe that…, well…, I’ll let them speak for themselves.

THERE IS NOW a broad consensus in this country, and indeed in the world, that global warming is happening, that it is a serious problem, and that humans are causing it. The recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded there is a greater than 90 percent chance that greenhouse gases released by human activities like burning oil in cars and coal in power plants are causing most of the observed global warming. This report puts the final nail in denial’s coffin about the problem of global warming.

That’s right…, they actually used the “D” word, “DENIAL”!

To confront this challenge, we have reintroduced the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act. The bill, which has growing bipartisan support, would harness the power of the free market and the engine of American innovation to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions substantially enough and quickly enough to forestall catastrophic global warming.

They conclude:

The debate has ended over whether global warming is a problem caused by human activity. Consequently, we can and must act now to solve the problem, or else we will bequeath a dangerous and diminished world to our children and grandchildren.

Read it here.

I’ve met with Joe Lieberman in the past and always found him impressive, but this stuff pushes my buttons in oh so many ways. It saddens me to see Joe embracing it. McCain I’ve never trusted on anything, but was willing to give him a shot. The best light I can put on this is that they do emphasize the need to consult with the business community and to consider the economic impact of environmental measures. That’s something. Maybe they see some legislative action on the environment as inevitable in the coming election season and are seeking to forestall more drastic, economically destructive actions.

That, I emphasize, is the most charitable interpretation I can put on this thing. But even if that is the case, I still cannot support a candidate for President who does not have the sense and courage to stand up to the eco-hysterics.

UPDATE:

Giuliani just blew it too. He thinks Gore doesn’t go far enough!!! [here] Romney’s starting to look better and better. At least he had the guts to make his announcement standing in front of an SUV.