The Big Dog ‘annoys’ Bush gang at climate conference

December 9, 2005

It hasn’t made many domestic headlines, but there’s been an ongoing U.N. conference on global warming this week in Montreal. Predictably, the White House sent a delegation of envoys that, unlike our Western allies, rejects most climate studies and resists a change in environmental standards.

It’s the first annual U.N. climate conference since Kyoto in 1997 and nearly 10,000 delegates are on hand. Of course, those who have urged the world to take the environmental challenge more seriously have been frustrated all week by the American position. As the gathering enters its final day, however, they’re about to get a boost from a well-known ally.

Bill Clinton, who as president championed the Kyoto Protocol clamping controls on “greenhouse gases,” was scheduled to speak at the conference Friday afternoon — in an unofficial capacity but potentially at a critical point in backroom talks involving the U.S. delegation.

The U.S. envoys, representing a Bush administration that renounced the Kyoto pact, were said to be displeased by the 11th-hour surprise, although there was no formal protest, according to an official in the Canadian government, the conference host.

In particular, the Chicago Tribune noted that U.S. delegates were “annoyed” by Clinton’s intervention at the conference. Fortunately, there’s not much they can do to stop him.

Clinton, who was invited here by the City of Montreal, will speak in the main conference hall between the official morning and afternoon plenary sessions, said U.N. conference spokesman John Hay. Despite its unofficial nature, the speech was sure to attract hundreds of delegates from the more than 180 countries represented.

A city spokesman said the ex-president will be representing the William J. Clinton Foundation, which operates the Clinton Global Initiative, a program focusing on climate change as a business opportunity.

I can just imagine the Bush administration’s envoys, seething over the fact that Clinton is showing them up and making them look bad. Good for Bill.

“invited here by the City of Montreal”

how long before the wingnuts say, “it figures. they speak french there.”

  • I can just imagine the Bush administration’s envoys, seething over the fact that Clinton is showing them up and making them look bad

    Like shooting fish in a barrel.

  • It’s always tempting to think of things like this in us (real Americans) versus them (red-state fundamentalist anti-science morons) terms. But there’s more to it than that.

    One of the greatest deterents the U.S. has on the world stage is that we hold regular elections every two and four years. You can count on them like clockwork. That means every other country in the world knows they just needs to hang on a couple of years until our rulers change, and maybe then we’ll be easier to deal with.

    Bill Clinton isn’t going as a Dem, or to blow holes in Bush’s policies. He’s going as an American, and what he’s saying simply by speaking is this:

    “George Bush is not the United States, and neither am I. The American people stand with the other peoples of the world, and if you give us a little while to sort through our domestic issues, at some point, and probably soon, we’ll have a president who’s willing to talk turkey on the environment.”

    And ultimately that’s the thing that pisses the Bush people off most. They really don’t mean shit in the scheme of things, and all it takes for them and everyone else to realize it is one speech from Bubba.

  • Here’s a quote from a Reuters story (http://tinyurl.com/9mlpw)

    U.S. head delegate Paula Dobriansky denied Clinton’s presence would be a problem for Washington.

    “Public events…such as the one involving President Clinton are useful opportunities to hear a wide range of views on global climate change,” she said.

    Hmmmm…..apparently the Bush Admin feels they are also useful opportunities to ignore facts, lose friends and alienate people.

  • Hey, the state of California sent a delegation and even that group is bigger than the one from the administration……they deserve to be marginalized.

  • Apparrently , he’s not the only one the adminstration is upset at.
    The Whitehouse has officailly complained to the Canadian Ambassador about remarks Prime Minister Martin made.

    “There is such a thing as a global conscience,” Martin said Wednesday at the UN Conference on Climate Change.

    “Now is the time to listen to it. Now’s the time to join with others in our global community. Now is the time for resolve, for commitment and leadership and, above all, now is the time for action. Because only by coming together can we make real and lasting progress.”

    Hardly seems protest worthy, more like common sense…

    here is the link to the full story .

    http://www.cbc.ca/story/canadavotes2006/national/2005/12/09/katrina-global-warming-bush-martin.html

  • The Whitehouse has officailly complained to the Canadian Ambassador about remarks Prime Minister Martin made.

    Excellent link, Rex, thanks for including it.

  • What did Clinton say that angered the White House? Here the lede from the AP article as reported on CNN.

    MONTREAL, Quebec (AP) — Former U.S. President Bill Clinton told a global audience of diplomats, environmentalists and others on Friday that the Bush administration is “flat wrong” in claiming that reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to fight global warming would damage the U.S. economy.

    With a “serious disciplined effort” to develop energy-saving technology, he said, “we could meet and surpass the Kyoto targets in a way that would strengthen and not weaken our economies.”

    It appears that this White House is not to fond of being told it is wrong.

  • I used to think that only the very, very rich had benefitted from W’s selection to the presidency. I just realized that there is one other person — our own Big Dog — who has also received benefit. Compared to his successor, he is a giant.

  • Via TPM, New York Magazine reports the following:

    Bush-administration officials privately threatened organizers of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, telling them that any chance there might’ve been for the United States to sign on to the Kyoto global-warming protocol would be scuttled if they allowed Bill Clinton to speak at the gathering today in Montreal, according to a source involved with the negotiations who spoke to New York Magazine on condition of anonymity.

  • A giant indeed.

    I didn’t like Clinton much as a president. But compared to this shithead, Clinton was Kennedy, FDR, Lincoln, and Washington combined.

    Often over the last few years I’ve been gripped with a deep and longing nostalgia for the Clinton years. The 1990’s were a very, very good time for many, myself especially. Everything went to shit in 2000, in the country, in the world, in the economy, in my own fortunes, and in my own personal private life. It’s been dismal every since.

    The idea of alternative energy sources and conservation/efficiency as a huge tech boom just waiting to be happen– such a 1990’s-style, Clinton-era kind of thinking. The kind of thing that could make everyone happy and successful: an explosion of new entrepreneurial opportunity. An idea completely ignored by the old-money oil-industry fat-cat cronies in charge of our planet right now.

    I’d love to turn the clock back if it was possible. Alas, the past is gone, but our future could look quite bright if we are able to put Democrats back into power in 2006 and 2008.

  • The reason it was not covered very well is because the US television networks send no one. NPR was there, as were the national TV networks from about 30 counries. Including BBC world, Kyodo, Deutsh Welle, TV5 france, etc…

    I was in the room, I saw fully wired offices set aside for the US networks go unsued all week.

    Shameful performance by the US MSM.

    • Comments are closed.