President Obama has junked the Keystone XL pipeline. His stated
reason: The U.S. needs to lead the "serious action to fight climate
change." His real reason is different.
'America," Obama said, is
"now a global leader" in the climate war, "and frankly, approving this
project would have undercut that global leadership."
He insists
now is the time to "protect the one planet we've got while we still
can." Though his rhetoric will resonate with those who want to hear that
sort of bunkum, the rest of us recognize its vast emptiness.
Obama's
decision Friday was based on nothing more than political opportunity.
The announcement was timed to coincide with the United Nations climate
talks, which begin in Paris at the end of the month, and shaped to make
him look like a strong leader.
As usual, it was all about Obama,
who craves the international approval and domestic back-pats he will get
for being such a forward thinker.
But here's what we have learned
through almost seven years of his presidency — when it's all about
Obama, the rest of us generally get a boot to the head. In the instance
of his Keystone decision, we're talking lost jobs and energy prices that
will be higher than they should be.
No comments:
Post a Comment