John Kerry is right - So says Oliphant

[Mass]

I was happy to see that I did not dream when it comes to Kerry.

Environment is one of the major issues of our future (as important as Iraq and directly related). This is among the main reasons I was drawn to Kerry two years ago. Happy to see that some people have listened to him last year and recognized that what he said was important.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/08/02/the_energy_debacle/

That, oversimplified, is what one of Congress's most effective leaders on energy and environmental matters proposed. Senator John Kerry was right last year, and his ideas remain to mock the outrage of what has actually transpired.

The irony is that as America's energy situation worsens, Kerry's ideas remain the ones most likely to be followed -- once the country wakes up.

[karynnj]

1. Nice editorial

Oliphant is great - why can't more reporters / columnists be like him. I also was impressed during the campaign by how coherently Kerry connected energy needs to improving the environment, supporting technologies of the future and jobs. The idea is complex, but as Kerry explained it in the campaign, it really seemed like a very logical, reasonable way to go in the future. Kerry's 3 or 4 sentence expanation about how the solutions to all of these issues were related was intuitively appealing. It really was too bad that there was no energy or environmental question in the domestic issues debate.

Even in a B rated Science fiction movie, if the energy sources were dying, the powers that be would have put the scientists to work to find alternative sources of energy. It's that obvious.

But maybe this administration is really following a faith based energy plan - after all when the Maccabees reclaimed the temple, the oil that should have lasted one day lasted for eight - as commemorated by Hanukkah. So, maybe Bush thinks that God will make our planet's oil last longer too.

[blm]

2. I hope you're reposting in GD.

It also pisses me off that corporate media refused to report this major part of Kerry's campaign.

[ginnyinWI]

3. this administration has an inability to grow and change

So they adopted an energy bill that gives us the same old non-solutions. They think because they are in the majority that all their ideas are right, and there is no need to look further. And how wrong they are!

So they will continue to do things the wrong way, giving breaks to the oil companies on OUR backs, until the people realize what's going on and kick them out. I guess that's the silver lining to the messes they've gotten us into.

Yeah, I do want someone to look back on what Kerry said in '04 and '05, someday, and ask why this guy wasn't listened to.

[blm]

5. Kerry wasn't listened to in 1997 when he warned about funding of terrorism

or in 1992 when he tried to expose that GOVERNMENTS and financial institutions were facilitating terrorism, money laundering, arms and drug dealing around the world.

[karynnj]

7. Which makes me angrier that the then President

not only didn't have the honesty to mention this - probably because it put him in a bad light - and now says Kerry is weak on defense.

[jillan]

4. They are talking non-stop on cable news today about how

the storms and hurricanes are going to be worse this year than ever.
Why? Because of the temperature of the oceans heating up!

Didn't I just see Kerry on the senate floor earlier this week literally screaming about how we are ignoring global warming?

To all the repugs in the senate, this is for you
:spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank: :spank:

[karynnj]

6. The cable companies would more likely blame Kerry

for the storms and hurricanes than really seriously cover global warming - let alone cover Kerry talking about global warming.

What's strange is that when we had big winter storms, there were some sarcastic comments about where is global warming.I was surprised to hear that in the beginning it may make the UK colder because with less water coming from the seasonal melting of the polar caps the Golf stream current will be less powerful.

Why does Bush want to destroy the earth?

[sandnsea]

8. And on health care, trade, housing, business, policing,

drugs, prisons, schools... how the hell long is the list of things that Kerry is right on?

[Mass]

9. This one is particularly important and often ignored by people

(left and right), as can be seen in the Energy Bill Vote.

Unfortunately, the late 70s and early 80s have shaped the foreign and industrial policies of this country around oil, and it is largely responsilble of many of the problems that we are in nowadays (domestic and foreign policy). In fact, it relates to many of the subjects you have quoted in your list.

Kerry has seen that in a way that has escaped to many (even liberal) politicians. He has tried to articulate that during the campaign and this has often been dismissed, unfortunately.

[blm]

10. The left wing writers/pundits have failed to service their readers, too

Most of them failed to notice the entire issue, during the campiagn, and also complained afterwards that Kerry didn't talk about the issues.

Very frustrating that the media on the left can be just as obtuse and lazy as the mainstream corpo-media.

[JohnKleeb]

11. Thats why I feel in the middle

between the left and the middle, center left I guess.

[Mass]

12. Sometimes, I am not so sure that some of the people who see

themselves on the left are really on the left (sometimes extreme left and extreme right tend to meet), but I guess this is another question.

[JohnKleeb]

13. So you believe in a circle political specturm too?

[Mass]

14. Absolutely, and I think DU proves it everyday

Certain days, I just have to pinch myself to believe some of the posts come from progressives (or at least this is what they call themselves).

Note: I am not speaking of all progressives on DU, just a small fraction of people who think they are progressive, but seem to ignore in progressive, there is the word progress.

[JohnKleeb]

15. Yep

I know what you mean about that, I feel as if I am too liberal for groups like the DLC but too moderate for DU. Not a bad feeling though, I am a traditional liberal.

[LittleClarkie]

16. I love Oliphant

What a sane man.

[karynnj]

17. Definitely agree

I really wish there were more like him.