The Hill - GOP Huddles On Climate - Not To Act, But To Come Up With Unified Message For Election

[hatrack]

Senate Republicans began an unusual closed-door debate on climate change Wednesday that may portend a shift toward the position of the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). The meeting of the conference launched GOP efforts to find a common position on global warming, an issue on which Republicans have been sharply divided.

The issue has taken on a greater urgency within Republican circles now that all the major presidential candidates, including McCain, support mandatory controls of greenhouse gases. This represents a sharp break with the Bush administration, which has fought such proposals vigorously. Wednesday’s meeting did not produce a consensus and may have ultimately helped solidify GOP opposition to the leading proposal on climate change. Still, several Republican senators said it marked a shift in the debate.


Instead of arguing over the science underpinning global warming, the meeting focused almost exclusively on the impact a mandatory system to control greenhouse gases would have on the economy and the environment. “We’re beyond that,” said Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.), who does not yet support caps on emissions. “I think now it’s time for serious thinking as to what works.”

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), who famously dubbed human-induced global warming a “hoax,” said the argument against climate controls is easier when focused on the economic costs instead of science. He also said he didn’t have enough time to rail against the science at Wednesday’s meeting. "If you open up , you can go on for hours,” Inhofe said.

EDIT

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-seeking-a-single-voice-on-climate-issue-2008-04-09.html





EDIT

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/gop-seeking-a-single-voice-on-climate-issue-2008-04-09.html

[karab]

1. hoax

The Oklahoma sun has fried his brain. I guess he doesn't have to worry about the seas rising where he is, and maybe there won't be much of a temperature change there, but he'll soon be wondering where his food is.