Sunday, April 1, 2007

Global warming: The Earth is a beautifully complex system eyeon08.com: "Let me start with a summary of where the GOP candidates are on the issue. As many know, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani are clear proponents of the position that global warming is happening and caused by human activity. Of the second tier candidates, you have Mike Huckabee who is probably to the left of McCain and Giuliani. Sam Brownback is also on the side of taking action to address global warming. As usual, Mitt Romney is straddling the fence of the issue, (list of quotes here) although his recent position suggests that he will be willing to cooperate with people in the party who are opposed to interventions. Although in his recent interview on Kudlow, he responds to a question about taxes and caps by only answering the tax question. And Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich are on the record as more skeptical, although I have heard that Thompson is closer to McCain. But I can't find it. So, the top tier of candidates (Giuliani, McCain, Thompson, and Romney) is split, with Thompson being the only real skeptic. And much of the serious 2nd tier is with or to the left of McCain and Giuliani." "2008 pres" 9:51:39 AM

? for president? Glenn Greenwald (via Salon): "Two of the three leading Republican candidates for President either embrace or are open to embracing the idea that the President can imprison Americans without any review, based solely on the unchecked decree of the President. And, of course, that is nothing new, since the current Republican President not only believes he has that power but has exercised it against U.S. citizens and legal residents in the U.S. -- including those arrested not on the "battlefield," but on American soil. "What kind of American isn't just instinctively repulsed by the notion that the President has the power to imprison Americans with no charges? And what does it say about the current state of our political culture that one of the two political parties has all but adopted as a plank in its platform a view of presidential powers and the federal government that is -- literally -- the exact opposite of what this country is?" Thanks to Talking Points Memo for the link. Mike Huckabee (via Washington Wire): "If Republicans in this election vote in such a way as to say a candidate's personal life and personal conduct in office doesn't matter, then a lot of Christian evangelical leaders owe Bill Clinton a public apology." eyeon08.com wonders, "Who all is he attacking? Rudy? Gingrich? "Christian evangelical leaders"? Cannot be smart." Oliver Willis: "Bernard Kerik, Rudy Giuliani's character witness." NRO: "Crane says he was disappointed with Romney's answer to his question the other night. Crane asked if Romney believed the president should have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens with no review. Romney said he would want to hear the pros and cons from smart lawyers before he made up his mind. Crane said that he had asked Giuliani the same question a few weeks ago. The mayor said that he would want to use this authority infrequently." Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link. Citizen Boo lays into John McCain satirically. Oliver Willis: "Video shows Rudy Giuliani announcing his support for lawsuits against gun manufacturers. This was, of course, before he was running for president and had to pander to the gun lobby. Now, he's against gun control." "2008 pres" 9:40:13 AM

Global warming: The Earth is a beautifully complex system Here's a preview of the report on climate change due out Friday, from the Globe and Mail. From the article, "A key element of the second major report on climate change being released Friday in Belgium is a chart that maps out the effects of global warming with every degree of temperature rise, most of them bad. There's one bright spot: A minimal heat rise means more food production in northern regions of the world. However, the number of species going extinct rises with the heat, as does the number of people who may starve, or face water shortages, or floods, according to the projections in the draft report obtained by The Associated Press Some scientists are calling this degree-by-degree projection a 'highway to extinction.' "It's likely to be the source of sharp closed-door debate, some scientists say, along with a multitude of other issues in the 20-chapter draft report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. While the wording in the draft is almost guaranteed to change at this week's meeting in Brussels, several scientists say the focus won't. The final document will be the product of a United Nations network of 2,000 scientists as authors and reviewers, along with representatives of more than 120 governments as last-minute editors. It will be the second of a four-volume authoritative assessment of Earth's climate released this year. The last such effort was in 2001. University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver said the chart of results from various temperature levels is 'a highway to extinction, but on this highway there are many turnoffs. This is showing you where the road is heading. The road is heading toward extinction.'[...] "Despite that dire outlook, several scientists involved in the process say they are optimistic that such a drastic temperature rise won't happen because people will reduce carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming. 'The worst stuff is not going to happen because we can't be that stupid,' said Harvard University oceanographer James McCarthy, who was a top author of the 2001 version of this report. 'Not that I think the projections aren't that good, but because we can't be that stupid.'" "2008 pres" 8:59:46 AM

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