Bush Threatens U.N. Over Clinton Climate Speech (NY Mag)

Bush-administration officials privately threatened organizers of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, telling them that any chance there might’ve been for the United States to sign on to the Kyoto global-warming protocol would be scuttled if they allowed Bill Clinton to speak at the gathering today in Montreal, according to a source involved with the negotiations who spoke to New York Magazine on condition of anonymity.

Bush officials informed organizers of their intention to pull out of the new Kyoto deal late Thursday afternoon, soon after news leaked that Clinton was scheduled to speak, the source said.

The threat set in motion a flurry of frantic back-channel negotiations between conference organizers and aides to Bush and Clinton that lasted into the night on Thursday, and at one point Clinton flatly told his advisers that he was going to pull out and not deliver the speech, the source said.

“It’s just astounding,” the source told New York Magazine. “It came through loud and clear from the Bush people—they wouldn’t sign the deal if Clinton were allowed to speak.” Clinton spokesman Jay Carson confirmed the behind the dustup took place and that the former president had decided not to go out of fear of harming the negotiations, but Carson declined to comment further.

more…
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/15314/index.html

:wtf:

murderers, torturers and thieves who are running our government never intended to sign anything or cooperate on anything that would improve the environment or help the human race get off its addiction to gas and other fossil fuels. They've killed tens of thousands of people to corner the market on the last oil reserves and to gouge us on the price.

Not signing the Treaty because Clinton will be speaking in Mtl? WTF?!

That's exactly what it is. Nothing more, nothing less.

it's typical really. You just expect pure evil from this fucks, and they always deliver (and then some).

court justice before taking office? Isn't it something along the lines of 'defend the Constitution?'

Now we know what Bush thinks of the Constitution and the First Amendment: "peaceful gathering" and "free association" among other things.

Edit, added a few more thoughts.

He don't wat to hear it, I wonder why the American people don't either. Maybe they are too worried their marriage is being destroyed by a gay couple getting married in Mass.:shrug:

Yeah, so like, he lied there too. Rilly rilly big surprise. Like, whatever.

They'd have found another excuse; these twerps have been dismantling US environmental laws for years (so wince when you see the media saying how government has been NEGLECTING things so therefore the corporate element has to take over - yeah, right...)

He'll blame his underlings, he had nothing to do with it, and that's not what he meant anyhow. We've seen this before, we know their MO.

They will go to any length to curb dissension. I guess I shouldn't be surprised anymore, should I?

K'd and Nom'd!

:kick:

Except they had no plans to sign the kyoto agreement anyway.

You might be right there, sadly so.

Bill Clinton has single-handedly been the point man for our concerns for 12 years. Of course he's not "one of them"!!!

and then they called the Canadian ambassador to the U.S. onto the carpet re: PM Paul Martin's comments. Hopefully Frank McKenna (the ambassador) told the U.S. to shove it. But in a nice, diplomatic, Canadian way.

except I hope he DIDN'T do it in a diplomatic way. I'm tired of having to be respectful to these thugs.

posted earlie also.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1977063

Clinton Says Bush Is 'Flat Wrong' on Kyoto

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051209/ap_on_sc/climate_ch...



MONTREAL - Former President Clinton told a global audience of diplomats, environmentalists and others Friday that the Bush administration is "flat wrong" in claiming that reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to fight global warming would damage the U.S. economy.

With a "serious disciplined effort" to develop energy-saving technology, he said, "we could meet and surpass the Kyoto targets in a way that would strengthen and not weaken our economies."

It has nothing to do with the economy, but how the wealth and profits are distributed. If our government really wanted to see a change in energy usage, they could come up with a set of taxes and incentives to make it economically feasible, but it would come at the expense of the profits of the current system's winners.

Of course, the mainstream press won't call * and company on this, but instead will parrot their disingenuous cries of "bad for the economy and jobs".

bah.

you know, technical stuff, the kind of stuff "W" isn't interested in. If it doesn't include pushing toy soldiers around on a big map of the world bush doesn't want to play. Since there's never been a single "disciplined effort" in bush's entire life he regards this the same way he'd regard anything that took discipline.....not at all. We are living through the most shallow, egocentric, ignorant presidency in history. I only hope this country and it's population can sustain itself for 3 more years of this without suffering irreparable damage.

Greetings Pastafarian -

I fear that it's too late. Lots of harm, lots irreparable, because a lot of people have been hurt badly who cannot be unhurt, or undead for that matter. Aside from those little problems, the nation as a whole, that is the USA as an institution? I suppose no damage lasts forever, probably, but not in your or my lifetime I fear.

May you be touched by His noodly appendage,

RBD

I can't believe the utter gall of the * admin.

And I'm disappointed that Big Dog has allowed himself to be manipulated by those..........I can't even think of a word or name to call them!

he's been allowing it for years.

Public humiliation - what's he thinking he's going to get in return, eh?

By not responding all these times, it says an even bigger, albeit silent, message about himself too. :(

I think he purposefully likes to get under the right-wing's skin. It's his way of showing them, that they did not break his spirit.

They have called him everything but a child of God; yet, Clinton has not allowed them to break his spirit. He has not become some angry and bitter man b/c of impeachment, etc.

So kudos to him.

Poppy is making more money while Gerald is probably playing golf. It's still kind of amazing how much power Bill holds with the media - too bad his wife is so misguided these days.

They can't STAND the fact that 5 years after his presidency, the Big Dog is still almost universally loved across the world.

so, this is old news.
THere are two threads in LBN about the speech.

Clinton should have given his speech.

You go, Mr. President!

Earlier Clinton declared he didn't want to interrupt the meeting because of Bushco petty politics. However he went ahead anyway with the speech.

"...according to a source involved with the negotiations who spoke to New York Magazine on condition of anonymity"

.....On Friday afternoon, Clinton did end up speaking at the conference, a global audience of diplomats, environmentalists, and others who were in the final hours of a two-week gathering devoted to discussing the future of the protocol, the existing emissions-controls agreement. In 1997, Al Gore, then vice-president, helped negotiate the protocol, but it never passed the Senate. In 2001, it was formally renounced by the Bush administration, which argues that cutting greenhouse-gas emissions would hurt the American economy.

Several hours after all these tense negotiations had been resolved, the U.S. delegation’s chief, Paula Dobriansky, issued a statement saying that events such as Clinton’s speaking “are useful opportunities to hear a wide range of views on global climate change.”

“They were trying to clean up the mess,” the source said. Late Friday the U.S. walked out for other reasons.

A White House spokesman couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

To save the twisted ego of Little Boots, the appointed AWOL-in-Chief.

Pathetic.

the world wants to hear Clinton and thinks * is an asshole.

But, in a way, you can't blame them. After all, they appear that much duller when contrasted to Clinton.

He needs to grow up and stop having tantrums all the time.

willful, petulant child.

Bingo.

It is so sad that we get stuck with someone this immature to serve as our leader.

Accusations of miliary crimes aside, what Ms.Rice does on Kyoto is absurd. It is like she sees Ahmadinejad around every corner. Or maybe she is not responsible for the Montreal talks? But it does not make this hysterical walkout any more sane. It is always possible to express disagreements in a measured way. Apparently, neocons take every single issue from Iraq to Internet to environment as their final and decisive fight.

1. Greg Sargent. Bush Threatens U.N. Over Clinton Climate Speech: http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/15314/index.html
Bush-administration officials privately threatened organizers of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, telling them that any chance there might’ve been for the United States to sign on to the Kyoto global-warming protocol would be scuttled if they allowed Bill Clinton to speak at the gathering today in Montreal, according to a source involved with the negotiations who spoke to New York Magazine on condition of anonymity.
Bush officials informed organizers of their intention to pull out of the new Kyoto deal late Thursday afternoon, soon after news leaked that Clinton was scheduled to speak, the source said.

2. Andrew Buncombe. US walks out of climate change talks as 150 nations move forward to adopt Kyoto: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article332206.ece
The Bush administration's unwillingness to seriously confront global warming was increasingly at odds with the rest of the world last night as more than 150 other nations were poised to move forward with the Kyoto protocol.
The US faced widespread condemnation after persistently rejecting even the mildest commitment to deal with climate change at the UN talks in Montreal.
Washington's behaviour represents a serious embarrassment to Tony Blair who has argued that he could obtain an undertaking from the US to tackle the issue.
As the US position was highlighted by the walking out of talks by its chief negotiator Harlan Watson, the former president Bill Clinton launched an attack on his successor's environmental policy.

Despicable, maybe... * leaves one for a total lack of words - daily!

Let the whole world go to pure hell, so *adm can either blame FDR, JFK, Clinton, blab, blab, blab.

He must not give a damn about his own daughters future on this planet, or he's an arrogant NUMB-SKULL!

President Talibornagain thinks Jeezus is coming soon to personally escort him to the big White House in the sky, so why worry about climate change?

People, our CIC is certifably nuts and getting nuttier by the day. I'm serious.

whether Clinton spoke or not? Give me a break.

He just hates, hates, hates Bill Clinton, all the good things President Clinton accomplished, and above all, the warmth so many people have for him.

* is spinning out of control. Seriously.

a 3rd term? I'd love to see Bill run against *... Of course that would mean accepting the "legitimacy" of *'s pResidency.

The article says Clinton decided not to go, but I'm happy to say, he did go, and kicked Bush's ass "big time," as Dick Cheney would say.

Clinton Says Bush Is 'Flat Wrong' on Kyoto

By CHARLES J. HANLEY, AP Special Correspondent
9 minutes ago

MONTREAL - Delegates from around the world worked into the final hours of a U.N. climate conference on Friday to produce a plan for deeper cuts after 2012 in greenhouse-gas emissions, buoyed by a last-minute message of support from former President Clinton.

Clinton, in an applause-filled appearance at the Montreal meeting, said President Bush was "flat wrong" to claim that reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to fight global warming would damage the U.S. economy. But the ex-president urged the negotiators from more than 180 nations to find a way to "work with" the current U.S. administration.

Read the rest at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/climate_change_clinton;_ylt=AsuNhOriIG3aKq6l.y2SO1Os0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

between Clinton and his new 'friends' the Bushes?

It has crossed my mind. Things are so perverted/twisted anymore who the hell knows?

and now this is just their excuse.

"That's it -- we're walking out -- and it's all the fault of the catering staff!"


As you say, they were looking around for an excuse. First they blamed the Canadian PM's speech -- now they've decided to blame Clinton (their standard procedure).

dare the pathetic Idiot?

There was a link earlier on DU with a video of the speech. 30 minutes and no notes that I saw. Can you imagine * speaking on any subject for 30 minutes without a written speech. He couldn't even read the written words without goofing it up.

I was in Europe and saw the program. The calls came in from Germany, South Africa, Brazil - you name it - and they were regular people - and President Clinton was excellent. He listened carefully to sometimes very emotional statements and questions, and answered directly - with none of that BS dancing around, just-repeat-your-prescripted-talking-points answers we see from most politicos. And he had an encyclopedic knowledge of what was going on all over the world as to what individual governments were doing, the varying power of countries to negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies, the numbers of doctors being trained to treat AIDs, the occurrence rate in different countries. And all this without referring to a single note! He has worked very hard on this problem at an international level - and his warmth and concern were so good to see. For a few minutes I was proud to be an American again.

shit.

to know how to sign your name anyway, and your left you stamp at the ranch... so just shut the fuck up and proceed to National Whiner's Day December 26th. Something you know how to do!

Anything where he is associated with the bush crime family......Tsunami relief and all.

"Can't we just all get along, ya'll?" (my worst BC accent) Talk about feeding Satan red meat!:evilgrin:

Gyre

http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2005-12-09T223019Z_01_MOL760618_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENVIRONMENT-CLIMATE.xml

I thought the US delegation walked out when Canada's Martin said the US was not cooperating on global warming.

he spoke at today when he said the Bush administration was "flat wrong" in saying limiting greenhouse gasses would hurt the US economy?

Doe Bush realize he's not king of the world? That his term expires in three years? Too bad everybody can't just stand down and do nothing for three years. NOTHING. No meetings for Bush people to bully their way around in. No treaties offered up for them to refuse to sign. NOTHING. I know, I'm dreaming.

He holds no credibility or legitimacy with over half this country and the rest of the world. So he can kiss our collective ass.

Bush has no intention of ever signing the Kyoto agreement anyway, but to hold world opinion hostage like this is so incredibly small -- even for RepulsiCONs.

Isn't sibling rivalry a bitch?

Wet Ones Wipes. For administration officials who are all wet.

(Waaaaaaah!!!)

on the main page, http://www.cnn.com

...so from the wording of that poll, do I take it that the US Economy should be considered as more important than the extinction of life on our planet? My head just exploded!!!!...:nuke:

BOTH. This argument that we can't cut greenhouse gasses because it would hurt the US economy is a textbook case of a false dichotomy.

Bu$hCo: "Make your choice: a stable climate, or a fluorishing economy."

Rationalist: "But those are not mutually exclusive choices. If we were to attack the problem of global warming with the same support we give to military weapons research, we could create new opportunities for economic growth that won't turn Saskatchewan into Florida, and Florida into a new Sargasso Sea. It's just a question of which kind of economy we want -- one based on continued massive consumption of petroleum, which will falter and crumble on the downhill side of Hubbert's Peak anyway, or one based on a sustainable, balanced harnessing of renewable energy. The latter is the better choice even without considering global warming. Once global warming -- which is real, no matter what you choose to claim for your own selfish purposes -- is brought into the picture, we can see that flooding our coastal cities and radically altering the weather patterns over our agricultural centers is unlikely to benefit the economy. So even a no-brainer can see that cutting greenhouse gasses is the obvious choice, and the longer it is postponed, the more trouble we make for ourselves -- including economic losses, which you want to consider a reason for not taking action."

and the opinions of mankind.

He stands by the Bushies to help them out for the tsunami and Katrina relief, and then gets slammed for his view on global warming.

If Clinton does not know how the Bush Crime family operates, my view is that he is the dumbass!

Bush is the dumbass, and a little boy having a tantrum. He's probably lying on the floor kicking and crying while he picks his nose. He probably lost out on another photo op.

pushing his luck.

because it would hurt the U.S. economy, but has no problem sending thousands of U.S. jobs overseas to India and China? What a lying idiot. He's for whatever will help corporate interests, period.

Clinton, in an applause-filled appearance at the Montreal meeting, said President Bush was "flat wrong" to claim that reducing greenhouse-gas emissions to fight global warming would damage the U.S. economy. But the ex-president urged the negotiators from more than 180 nations to find a way to "work with" the current U.S. administration.

Canadian officials said the U.S. delegation was displeased with the last-minute scheduling of the Clinton speech. But U.S. delegation chief Paula Dobriansky issued a statement saying events like Clinton's appearance "are useful opportunities to hear a wide range of views on global climate change."

Despite Clinton's message, many here seemed resigned to waiting for a political change in Washington.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/12/09/climate.clinton.ap/index.html

<snip>Despite Clinton's message, many here seemed resigned to waiting for a political change in Washington.

"It's such a pity the United States is still very much unwilling to join the international community, to have a multilateral effort to deal with climate change," said the leader of the African group of nations here, Kenya's Emily Ojoo Massawa.

"The administration just doesn't seem to get it. They don't understand the world is suffering from climate change," said Jennifer Morgan of the environmentalist group Climate Action Network.
<snip>

"American people resigned to 3 more years of 'dumbass'", World unwilling to join".

This is just a convenient excuse to both bash Clinton and still fuck Kyoto at the same time - a two-fer!

To call it bullshit would be an understatement.

But got to hand it to these crimnal bastards - they're fast and very creative - just not in a good way in any way shape or form!

Geez...........:spank:

peace.

bunch? Just curious.:shrug:

Yeah, Bill was a moderate. Some people here can't stand him for it. And he compromised on a lot of issues.

OTOH, we had eight years of peace and prosperity.

who still knows how to maximize his effectiveness through compromise and negotiation with a hostile opposition.

I do not see any in a vascillating had been, who according to Mike Malloy has never been a Democrat!

Effective means he's done something.

Pres Clinton is, and a brilliant one at that.

Given the constraints he operated under, what he managed was remarkable.

I call him moderate, because fiscally he was pretty conservative. He was liberal on social issues.

We all no what Bush is capable of, that is why we must get him out of office.

I'm begining to think that we love to hate bush, what will we type about when he's gone?

How happy we are that he's gone, I'll wager.

:rofl::evilgrin::rofl:

He is a DIVIDER...fuck that Uniter SHIT.

of the rest of the world against him. Which isn't so bad when we have someone as pathetic as him in power.

for not signing the Kyoto Treaty on Clinton's attending this conference and speaking?

Give me a effing break....Unbelievable....they will try to blame Clinton for anything and they will try to blame and find excuses for not signing this treaty...

with that 30-some percent. They'll support him no matter what he does. There's something else going on here, just no clue as to what it is yet. They are constantly trying to undermind and discredit the UN. UN bashing DOES play well with a lot of Republicans beyond his base.

at least he didn't explicitly fault the Clenis.. :rofl:

doesn't!!! Clinton should have spoke!!!

Pretty petty shit. More people need to question the capacity of the idiots running this country.

they are THAT petty? what a sad comment on the state of the white house, that it would act in such a childish manner.

Pitiful little punks. There's no amount of power that would ever let them feel secure.

only it's the pResident of the US that's acting like a baby.

worst.pResident.ever

Gawd, how kindergarten can you get.

BushInc has no intention of signing Kyoto anyway... so I can see why the UN was not intimidated.

The Canadians stood by Clinton also and would not revoke the invitation.

Clinton spoke for half an hour and acquitted himself and my faction of the liberal country very well indeed.

Sue

the world is planning to move forward without the US.

http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/articles/2005/12/10/ap/headlines/d8edc3eg0.txt
150 Nations Agree to Future Climate Talks

MONTREAL - More than 150 nations agreed Saturday to launch formal talks on mandatory post-2012 reductions in greenhouse gases _ talks that will exclude an unwilling United States.

For its part the Bush administration, which rejects the emissions cutbacks of the current Kyoto Protocol, accepted only a watered-down proposal to enter an exploratory global "dialogue" on future steps to combat climate change. That proposal specifically rules out "negotiations leading to new commitments."

snip>

"It's clear the Bush administration isn't willing to accept its responsibility," climate expert Bill Hare of Greenpeace International said of the continued U.S. rejection of global negotiations and emissions controls.

Explaining that stand earlier in the week, U.S. delegation chief Paula Dobriansky said the Americans "believe firmly that negotiations will not reap progress, as indicated, because there are differing perspectives."

more...

Bad for the corporations.

or suggesting there are those in the U.S. who disagree with the
Pres.

They are making our nation look like a bunch of petty children.

I can't hate Bushco enough.

dictated by this administrations hate of Bill Clinton and not actually on THE ENVIRONMENT !!!!

to enrich themselves

please note the sarcasm

Clinton speaks or not is irrelevant. Another reason, among the already too numerous reasons to count, why the these people are unfit to govern.

Typical, really..

environmental action. Repubs know it's just a matter of time before public opinion in USA swings massively to the left on environmental issues. When it does swing, folks will recognize Republican anti-environmental stance. This was arm-twisting to get Clinton to stand clear so there would be NO OPPOSING voice to counter Bush from the American power elite. Well, fuck that. Clinton threw down. And now it's fresh in everyone's mind that Dems = concern for environment. This is a connectoin we need to keep making. AMEN!!

:wow:

Bush just went to war with the wrong dude folks. I expect Clinton's the former gentle relationship between Bush and Clinton is going to erode over this? Not good for Bushie boy.

We know they have no ethics and now it's clear they have no brains.

Try to think back.. back before the buffoon-in-chief took office... Can ANY of us, OR the media imagine an actual WORLD LEADER behaving like a petulant child? Had any other prez done this, it would have been top news. We're so used to them being spiteful fucks that it barely registers. Good for Clinton to speak anyway. I understand his hesitancy, as our planet is much more important than one speech, but it's the principal of the thing, and not letting Bush's thuggery to push around the world.

I didn't like Poppy's politics much, and felt he was extremely out of touch with America. But damned if he didn't suck eggs as much as his son does. At least he knew if we went after Hussein, we would be stuck in an endless insurgency. I never thought Poppy Bush would look even mediocre in comparison with another President, but hell if things aren't that bad now.

That would have really burnt Junior's shorts.

from the BA.

After reading the BA was threatening retaliation I put my head through the wall.

How low will these jerks go.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051209/pl_afp/unclimateclinton_051209202357

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051209/pl_afp/unclimateclinton_051209202357

<snip>...in America, there's no telling how many jobs we could create." <snip>

that was coming from Clinton, because they had no intentions of signing the protocol whether or not Clinton spoke. I'm glad they called the bluff, and I hope there is a huge political price to pay for the pettiness of * and his "advisers." What a bunch of cry-babies Repigs are.

This is despicable behavior.

that they can pass around the WH since apparently no one there has any.

.. reparations to all the other countries in the world for being the most environmentally irresponsible.

The damage we are doing to the environment is negatively impacting other countries. More frequent and more powerful Hurricanes are hitting Mexico, Cuba and the Caribean as well as the United States.

That should stick it to the Bushies!

This administration has NOTHING reasonable to offer and will only get in the way of any international agreements.

The rest of the world needs to realize that you just can't expect to deal in good faith with Republicans. Simple as that. How many international agreements have they scuttled (or cheated on) already?

Face it. The man is a bad ass mofo.

HIs wife... eh... not so much.

How long will we just sit around talking about his stupidity and underhanded antics and lies and murder? What will it take?

demanding the investigation of Diebold, civil disobedience, and perhaps Revolution. That's what it will take. I'm tired of this bullshit!

Maybe Jeff Gannon-Guckert? PLEASE GIVE THAT MAN A BLOWJOB SO WE CAN IMPEACH HIM....:smoke:

worse than taking a bullet.

would show them what real US leadership is about!

Clinton should have hijacked them

* and cronies are a bunch of bed wetting pansies, willing to base national policy on whether or not a guy they don't like gets to speak at a function. Who the hell put this guy into office? Them Repugs got a lot of 'splainen to do.

Just pisses me off.

How low can you go? If you ever wondered just watch Bushco in action.

Shrubs don't make good presidents

Rove Blows Dogs.

Frankly, I have nothing more constructive to write than that. We know, we are outraged, but GWB et al? They don't care. The media apparati they bought stay bought.

I am more of a free marketeer by heart but mostly anyone can see the writing on the wall why this idea of "For Profit" information gathering and dissemination to the masses is really bad idea for society as a whole. If and or hopefully when conscious people get a handle on the monumental mountains of B.S. being flung at them by these way over budgeted propaganda machines run by corporations then real change will occur. Yet to think, is it really that hard to predict that before or during OUR Worlds upcoming environmental collapse we will have the truth, damned as it is or may be.

I do suspect many now living will see such a day. I am cautiously optimistic but until that day, eff you in the ear all over the place Mr Corporate America.

Corporate ethics, the new and improved oxymoron

Petty piece of garbage.

thought that the public would think that Clinton assisted him with something that he couldn't handle -- like signing the darn thing! :rofl:

I'm so mad I can't even speak.

I heard this from a UN staffer this morning. The White House has actually resorted to calling Americans who hold high-level positions in UN agencies and organizations, yelling at them and doing everything from guilt-trips ("Why aren't you supporting your country?") to threats ("You're supposed to do as we tell you!").

These are professional managers and field people who are very idealistic and fair-minded. They are understandably furious about partisan hacks trying to interfere with their jobs -- e.g. relief and development work, and environmental protection -- things which will not only make life better for thousands, even millions of people around the world, but which (if the White House would only get a clue) increase respect and admiration for America.