Obama's reelection had more to do with his hapless opponent, Mitt Romney, who made mistake after mistake. The election looked closer than expected and then we saw the mega storm, Sandy just before Election Day. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed of the president arguing that Obama was, the more likely of the two candidates to take "immediate action" on climate change. Obama is, indeed, no Mitt Romney. But since the election, the president's effort on climate change is another matter.
Where's the national or international crash project to conserve energy, clean up current CO2 sources, and develop alternatives? Did we all miss something?
Where was the rousing rhetoric from the inaugural address over the past four years? Where was the public education required to bury the climate change deniers once and for all? Don't the people have the right to know the truth?
It is safe to assume that the president's concern for the environment is enhanced to semi-believable only in the face of his opposition, the climate change deniers and those in the financial and corporate elite who bankroll that operation. Obama, at best, is dispassionate about the perils of climate change and, at worst, cynical. There is no evidence over the past four years that the president sees any urgency to act.
by Pam Burbul
Some reasons why the president may approve the pipeline
Obama wanted to nominate Susan Rice for Secretary of State. Ms. Rice was holding an array of stocks and investments in the Alberta tar sands digging and pipeline related companies. Surely, Obama was informed of this fact. As Secretary of State, Rice would have held the final recommendation on the project since it is an international effort.
Obama has no core belief system. He was antiwar but then decided to take years to appear to shut down Iraq. He got NATO to wage a war of aggression in Libya. The administration has fostered a civil war in Syria that has so far failed only because the Libyan formula for regime change wasn't allowed by the United Nations. He's for civil rights but has drones killing people, including U.S. citizens, around the world. He's pro labor but failed to do anything for union rights.
Why should it be any different on the environment? It hasn't so far.
Obama doesn't want to take the political hit for losing the jobs that Keystone XL might provide. He has done little to confront the massive unemployment rate and this might get him in some trouble.
At the start of this debate, Obama said that the tar sands oil would be exported to China somehow even if he blocked the U.S. transit route. Why not get some jobs for citizens if it's going to happen anyway, Obama led us to believe.
There are a number of reasons and indicators that Obama will nix the deal.
President Obama received open letters supporting pipeline approval from the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate with signature totals of 145 and 53 respectively. That's a less than that 33% of House members and a little over 50% of the Senate. These are not overwhelming numbers for public letters. That represents the opportunity to stick it to his most rabid opponents in the House and Senate and solidify the public majority for environmental progress.
When the tar-sands-friendly Susan Rice was nixed for Secretary of State, the president nominated then Senator John Kerry. Kerry was not nominated based on a pro-environment record but, as the secretary, he has the final say on approving the Keystone XL pipeline since it originates in Canada and transits the U.S. (One would think that EPA would make the decision but, after all, this is Washington, D.C.)
Kerry has a generally pro-environment position and seeks to appear that way when he's not. With his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, the secretary of state wrote This Moment on Earth, an argument for pro-environment policies and an appreciation for activists and innovators working for clean energy. Kerry is no candidate for membership in the Earth Liberation Front but he's a lot closer to environmental awareness than the volatile Susan Rice and his new boss.
Obama may move out of his grandiosity enough to realize that he can't tap dance around the issue of climate change any longer and hope to survive his presidency with the support of a large, ardent faction of environmentally aware citizens. This is a litmus test, a gut-check that will determine how millions will see the president. He survived past wavering on vital issues due to the atrocious nature and policies of his opposition. This time, the decision is all his. There will be no crazy Senators threatening a filibuster or delaying legislation. The buck stops right in the middle of the president's desk.
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