Clinton Urges Effort To Address Energy
He Sees Voter Backing for New Sources
By John F. Harris
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 7, 2004; Page A02
Former president Bill Clinton chided supporters to stop "bellyaching and whining" about the political obstacles and begin a new effort to address the intertwined problems of energy dependence and global warming.
Speaking at a day-long symposium he sponsored at New York University, the former president said he was distressed that the energy issue's link with both national security and environmental degradation received "almost no serious discussion" among the candidates or the media in the just-ended presidential campaign, even though this "may have a bigger impact on America and the world than virtually all the things that were debated."
Clinton has vowed to use his platform as an ex-president to promote the issue of reducing consumption of old energy sources such as petroleum and coal that produce the most "greenhouse gases." At the same time, he has stressed the importance of reducing U.S. reliance on unstable Middle Eastern governments -- a dependence he says complicates the fight against terrorism....
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Although the former president was not expressly addressing fellow Democrats, his remarks seemed to carry an implicit message to his party: that it can become more aggressive on energy issues without undue political consequences....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41425-2004Dec6.html