In attempts to muster support for the March invasion, the Administration took a worst case scenario view in estimating Iraq's stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and then, in the State of the Union Address, President Bush credulously trumpeted bogus evidence that the Saddam was buying uranium from Niger. With climate change, however, the Bush Administration grasps at every whisper of doubt and demands a standard of proof that would make it difficult to prove that the earth orbits the sun.
In this world of what might have been, imagine a conversation between UN chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, and U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, last fall:
Blix: "We need at least a year to complete our inspections."
Powell: "Take 10 years; better yet let's wait until Saddam uses them."
Blix: "I'm not sure even the French will be willing to wait that long."
Powell: "Well the U.S. isn't going to waste money and risk lives on some
hypothetical threat. Democracies don't invade other countries without
incontrovertible proof of an imminent threat."
Blix: "And if we find that proof?"
Powell: "If it's a real threat, I'm sure Old Europe will unite behind
us."
Imagine the conversation between VP Cheney and representatives of the coal industry:
Coal rep: "The science is uncertain!"
Cheney: "We'll be making tea by dipping Earl Grey in the Potomac before
there's absolute certainty. When the threat is a potential calamity for the
global food supply and economy, we have to act!"
Coal rep: "Fixing the problem will bankrupt the American economy."
Cheney: "Wrong, global warming will bankrupt the economy. Taking action
will be the biggest stimulus since the end of WWII. Imagine the capital
spending!"
Coal rep: "OK, OK, but the transition will still cost money. How much is
the Administration prepared to spend?"
Cheney: "Will $3.9 billion a month help? It's a figure we think we can
sell to Congress for dealing with extraordinary threats to stability."
Eugene Linden is the author of "The Future in Plain Sight: Nine Clues to the Coming Instability." His website is eugenelinden.com