Thanks to George W. Bush, self-proclaimed "decider," the United States is the odd country out at the G-8 meetings going on now. In particular, Bush is wildly out of step on global warming:
President Bush has now finally moved beyond denial on climate change. But his proposal for a conference of 15 of the biggest greenhouse gas emitters can hardly be called global leadership. It pins its hopes on wishful technological breakthroughs and sidesteps mandatory ceilings.A more serious proposal comes from this year's host, Chancellor Angela Merkel. She would impose mandatory caps and incentives to achieve a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by midcentury. That's far too specific for Mr. Bush, who is now pressing for watered-down language in the final communiqu+¬. Mrs. Merkel and like-minded leaders such as British Prime Minister Tony Blair need to hold their ground.
I agree: hold your ground, Prime Minister Blair and Chancellor Merkel, and don't let Bush bully you into inaction on this dire threat facing our planet.