When Bushes Care

The message: I care. We're trying.

-- President George H.W. Bush [1], responding to a town hall question about the worsening economy, 1/15/92

I know some say, well, since he's against Kyoto he doesn't care about the climate change. That's urban legend that is preposterous.

-- President George W. Bush [2], pre-emptively responding to criticism at the APEC Summit, 9/4/07

When Bushes care, watch out.

Lil' Bush is on the Australia leg of his worldwide "I Care" global warming tour. The last stop was Germany [3] and the G8 summit [4], where he cared us to a worthless and toothless "compromise" statement [5].

In both stops, he deployed the China Dodge [6], insisting that he won't move on cutting greenhouse bases without China doing the same.

Al Gore has already explained that as a practical matter, because of economic fears, China will only follow our lead. And today in the Washington Post, former Bush adviser (and Reagan's Secretary of State) George Shultz made a similar case. [7]

Further, Bush always neglects to mention that his administration is directly subsidizing China, and other nations, to create more carbon pollution. [8]

Obviously, global warming requires a global solution, and China has to be a part of that [9].

But Bush is not acting in good-faith by pointing his finger at China.

He, like most of his fellow conservatives, is simply making excuses and shifting blame -- while the Arctic ice cap is collapsing before our eyes. [10]

And as their inaction shows, they don't care at all.