Too little, too late

The Washington Times got a bit of a scoop today - it turns out that President Bush is planning to ask Congress to pass major new legislation to tackle climate change. Trouble is, his proposals look set to be a bit of a damp squib; I've posted some thoughts over at Political Climate:

... even if Bush’s change of heart is genuine, it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to make much headway in the few months he has left. Today’s Times story was probably a trial balloon, floated by the White House in order to see whether pundits and lawmakers would fall in line; and so far, things don’t look promising. Republican lawmakers have already reportedly rebuffed the President’s proposals, arguing that pushing for new legislation would play into the hands of Democrats and give them the green light to push for sweeping environmental reforms. Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, have little desire to help Bush reinvent himself as an environmental crusader - and are rightly skeptical about his willingness to put green issues before business interests. More importantly, they’re convinced that come November they’ll have a far greener president in the White House, and probably an expanded majority in Congress. In that context, it makes sense for Dems to rebuff Bush’s overtures, wait for him to leave office, and then work with his successor to pass meaningful and far-reaching environmental reforms.

Read the rest here.