Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Lessons and Priorities   [Chris Horner]

I see in this London Times piece from yesterday that Team Obama is not sold on sending their guy just down and around the corner from Oslo after he accepts his Nobel Peace Prize to attend the Kyoto II negotiations in Copenhagen. The place still likely leaves a bad taste in his mouth, to be sure. So much so, in fact, that it appears they are breaking from their habit of doubling down on the dogmatic. Instead of putting their head down and bulling harder after a target upon seeing their tactics don't work, Team Obama seem to have learned and adapted:

The White House confirmed that the President would be in Oslo to accept the prize, but a source close to the Administration said it was 'hard to see the benefit' of his going to Copenhagen if there was no comprehensive deal for him to close or sign.

Insert punch-line here about that deal that was just waiting to be closed in Copenhagen last time around. So either they're learning, or they just have their priorities (as addressed here and here).

Speaking of priorities, by the way, I notice the media continue to flaunt theirs. Read this paragraph from the same piece:

Chinese and Indian resistance to mandatory carbon emission limits has so far proved an insurmountable obstacle to crafting a successor to the Kyoto Protocol that is acceptable to the US.

Now, tell me what relevant to that statement has changed since the US found the original Kyoto unacceptable? One thing, and one thing only. Any guesses? See above paragraphs for a hint.

The first time around, the issue for the US was always China and India and the rest of the free-riding world where, incidentally, is where emissions are growing (and this is about emissions . . . right?). To the media, it had to be about Bush. Now that it can't be, it's China and India's turn. The good news is, the more the press flails about in this manner, desperate to latch on to a post-Bush bogeyman, the less appealing these countries will be to the American public for the whopping wealth transfer that Kyoto II is shaping up to be. Keep it up, guys.

10/27 09:30 AMShare