George Bush and Global WarmingMike Rappaport

I have been pretty tough on George Bush here lately, so let me hasten to discuss this partial defense of his policies in the Wall Street Journal by Kimberly Strassel:
 

Just call him George W. Bush, star international diplomat.Don’t snicker, don’t spit out your coffee. Instead, read over the finaldocument on climate change released yesterday by the Group of Eight.  Yes, it’s a major shift in how the world will address thesupposed threat of global warming. It’s also largely the vision put forth yearsago by none other than George W. Bush–that international cowboy–even if fewEuropean politicians will admit it.  Don’t expect anyone to admit it.

The proof of the desirability of George Bush’s plan is in the pudding:

Under the vaunted Kyoto, from2000 to 2004, Europe managed to increase itsemissions by 2.3 percentage points over 1995 to 2000. Only two countries are ontrack to meet targets. There’s rampant cheating, and endless stories of howselect players are self-enriching off the government “market” in C02credits. Meanwhile, in the U.S.,under the president’s oh-so-unserious plan, U.S. emissions from 2000 to 2004were eight percentage points lower than in the prior period.  Europeans may be slow, but they aren’t silly, and they’vequietly come around to some of Mr. Bush’s views. Tony Blair has been a leaderhere, and give him credit for caring enough about his signature issue to evolve.

Of course, Strassel does have some criticisms of Bush — once again, from the right. 

Not that the president’s handling of the climate issue hasbeen stellar. The science of global warming is still unsettled, yet Mr. Bush in2002 caved and laid out a voluntary emissions-reduction program. Instead ofgetting credit, he’s spent the ensuing years getting shellacked for not doingmore.