Daily Briefing - 2/1/07

The UN panel, meeting in Paris, placing the blame for global warming on humans. France is threatening the U.S. with a tax if we do not sign a climate pact. Al Gore has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Al Franken is now officially running for Senate in Minnesota. Senator Joe Biden said something off-the-cuff... again. Daylight savings has been moved up four weeks, and in helping out salmon migration the U.S. has ordered a strong modification of the Klamath River Dams in Washington.

There is also a very revealing interview in Grist with Frank Luntz, uber-spinmeister of the Republican party. The wordsmith behind the Contract with America and various campaigns, electoral and policy, answers questions about environmentalists, environmentalism, and the general state of messaging. In his candid interview, he refers to environmentalists as mean immediately after saying that environmentalism is well-thought of in America. He offers many enlightening thoughts, and for any person who considers themselves an environmentalist (or a conservationist, as Mr. Luntz would suggest you do) should find this interview to be quite eye-opening.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 2/1/07
641 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- U.N. panel blames humans for warming
o Also from the Houston Chronicle
- The long consensus on climate change
- France to U.S.: Sign climate pact or be taxed!
- Al Gore: Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
- Warming may be making hurricanes stronger, says panel
- The reality finally begins to sink in
- Agreeing on why, but not necessarily how… hey, give the Senators a break, that’s a big accomplishment for them
- Putting the green machine in motion in Canada
o Is it a perfect storm?
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Democrats want to rise with middle class
- Senator Franken? He’s officially in.
Potential ‘08ers…
- Biden (insert: foot in mouth), Clinton (she’s got Bartlett convinced), Pataki (he’s a no-go, for now), McCain v. Giuliani (the fundraising battle), Giuliani (can he do it?), Edwards (hammering the President), Edwards again (will travel the world in the first 100 days), Huckabee (could move ahead of Brownback), Clinton again (squaring off with Edwards at AIPAC), Obama (decision set for the 10th), Romney (charging into NH)
Other News from the Media
- U.S. orders modification of Klamath River Dams, allowing passage for salmon
- ExxonMobil: Over $39 BILLION in profits last year. Poor guys, they probably shouldn’t pay the royalties they owe… oh wait
- USDA outlines a plan to cut farm subsidies
o Ag. Dept. urges a big overhaul in farm policy
- Oil spill hits Vietnam’s central coast
- Some are critical of U.S.’s new nuclear policy
- Army Corps of Engineers OK’s large strip mining project in WV
…and the Blogosphere
- The Caucus: Bush on Clinton and Obama
- Why not go nuclear?
- Grist:
o An interview with Republican pollster-extraordinaire Frank Luntz
o Rising sea-level
o Picking apart those annoying false equivalences
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Molly Ivins passes away
- Did you know that Daylight Savings will be a month earlier this year? Yea, me neither
- Bomb threats in Boston? No, just some boxes left out for an upcoming ad campaign for a cartoon
- Malo Prime Minister
- “Too skinny!” says Posh Spice
- A rehash, of sorts, of the State of the Union
Quotes O’ the Day
This one’s for Exxon – “Honesty is a good thing, but it is not profitable to its possessor unless it is kept under control.” ~ Don Marquis

"In my dealings with them, they're mean. Some of the most personally nasty people come out of the environmental community." ~ Frank Luntz