Forget Kyoto We curb emissions better, so why imitate Europe?

Forget Kyoto

We curb emissions better, so why imitate Europe?

By David Freddoso

Sen. John Kerry (D., Mass.) and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R., Ga.) 鈥?one a washed-up former presidential candidate, the other a rehabilitated potential future candidate 鈥?engaged in the sort of rough-and-tumble, no-rules debate that Gingrich has always talked about with relish. It was a high-brow argument about global warming, lasting 90 minutes and with no restrictions, between two intelligent politicians 鈥?the kind of serious debate that few of our modern presidential candidates could survive.

The debate was remarkable in several ways, not the least of which was its confirmation of Kerry鈥檚 attempt, with a new book and a series of appearances, to piggy-back off of Al Gore鈥檚 environmentalist movie-star success.

But that is not all that the senator from Massachusetts is borrowing from Gore. Like his newly admired predecessor, the 2004 presidential wannabe has affected that air of national scolding that marked Gore鈥檚 presentation before two congressional panels last month. As with Gore, this involved the inevitable comparison of America to Europe on their respective environmental records. Americans, Kerry asserted, should feel ashamed for being such a dirty, nasty lot when it comes to carbon emissions.

鈥淭he Europeans are taking this more seriously,鈥?Kerry said of their quest to reduce carbon emissions, and thus (they hope) diminish global warming. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e struggling to meet the Kyoto standards and we鈥檙e not. We鈥檙e living outrageously, as an outlaw, outside of it. We鈥檙e not trying.鈥?br>