Bush to G-8: Tell ya what, fellers? How 'bout we do it my way, but y'all pretend to squat on my neck and bring me around and whatnot to save face?Something similar seems to have happened at Bali:
G-8: Deal!
Bush negotiator to Bali conference: How about you capitulate, but bring in Algore to snipe at our President and openly call for one-world government to thunderous applause?
Bali conference: Deal!
While Algore was saying this:
"I am not an official of the United States and I am not bound by the diplomatic niceties," said Gore in an emotional speech to delegates that lasted close to an hour. "So I am going to speak an inconvenient truth: My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali. We all know that."(Actually, the US is reducing emissions faster than the Kyoto signers. But I digress.) Gore also said something like this :
Believe me if I could snap my fingers and change the position of the United States of America, and change the position of some other countries, and make it instantly much easier to move forward with targets and timetables, I would do so in an instant.(I do believe you, Mr. Vice-President. That is precisely what I dislike about you. But I digress.) While he was making his umpteenth Bush Bogeyman speech, the parties appear to have agreed (we'll see) to compromise language that does not set specific emissions reduction targets and focuses instead on matters such as deforestation, just as Bush asked.
Just to poke a little more fun. At one point Gore explained his Bali strategy thus:
"One of the most famous ice hockey players in history was asked the secret of why he was so good at ice hockey," said Gore. "And he said in response to the question, 'I don't pass the puck to where they are, I pass the puck to where they're going to be.' Over the next two years, the United States is going to be somewhere it is not now. You must anticipate that."Were I Al Gore, I don't think I'd be using hockey analogies anymore.
