Just released Clarkcast!
Direct download podcastVia iTunesVia other methodsThe transcriptThe dynamics between Clark and Boxer are simply amazing. Two exceptional human beings touching on several topics.
On Iraq:
General Wesley Clark: It's a terrible tragedy and I'm glad that you and all the other Democratic senators are seized with the issue because one of the things the American people still...I think there's people out there that don't understand that Democrats have not only strong opinions but great ways of leading this country on Foreign and Security policy. We can keep this country safe.
Senator Barbara Boxer: I agree. And, by the way, you personify that if I might say, General. I...your whole life has been spent really protecting America and you understand this. And there's such a difference between the rhetoric that you hear from the administration and their policies which are making us less safe. You know, they stand up and they scare the American people and yet do nothing about protecting our nuclear power plants from a terrorist attack, a chemical plant, the rails, even the air. They could do much more, but anyway...
General Wesley Clark: And it's competence.
Senator Barbara Boxer: We could digress and have this whole ClarkCast about this.
...and so back on topic they were...on EPA rollbacks:
General Wesley Clark: Wasn't there somebody about to be appointed the other day to an administrative position in EPA who's actually an enemy of environmental protection?
Senator Barbara Boxer: Well I think that's certainly a very clear way to put it. Mr. Wehrum has been involved in almost all the rollbacks. We have proof that he sat down with industry, more of the same where industry is writing regulations and they are really, really endangering the health of the people. In California, we just learned that twice as many people as we thought are dying of air pollution-related cancer. We have...a child born in Los Angeles has a far greater chance of having a decreased lung capacity than in many of the clean air places. This is wrong. This is one country under God...one nation under God, indivisible. We better make sure that we know what we're doing here. So, this Mr. Wehrum...
General Wesley Clark: We can't take these protections for granted.
Senator Barbara Boxer: Well no, and they're rolling them back and they even go so far as to be so absurd. There was one particular regulation, a new source review which simply said if you're a polluting utility and you want to make a modification to your plant, then you need to show the Environmental Protection Agency that at the end of the day the air will not be worse, the air will be better because you'll make some modifications. Well, the Bush administration ruled, in a ruling that oh, this wasn't true, it doesn't apply to a modification, they can do whatever they want without making the air better. They went to court. The court literally said that their thinking was Humpty Dumpty, it turned everything on its head.
General Wesley Clark: Right.
Senator Barbara Boxer: And a conservative court, at that. And it was unanimous. So they have gone too far and this Mr. Wehrum, who they're putting up as the Clean Air Deputy, he has just been involved in all this bad stuff.
General Wesley Clark: He's the guy that's behind the Clean Skies Initiative, so called and the rest of it, huh?
Senator Barbara Boxer: He is, and watch it when they name things 'Healthy Forest' and 'Clean Skies,' look behind the names. You know. It's not true.
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