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Not that anyone is ever really surprised by Lindsey Graham anymore when he moves to the center, but for those of you who have short memories or those of you who are without a television or any other general means of communication, get surprised… Lindsey Graham is once again reaffirming his pledge to partner with Senator Kerry to save the Senate version of the Global Climate Change bill. This time he is not only flanked by Kerry, but the dynamic duo has also called upon the support of Independent Joe Lieberman as well. In case you are new to this sort of thing, a “bipartisan” effort that includes Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman usually means only one thing. Okay, two things. 1. The bill will be something that no one wants, needs, or even understands; and 2. John McCain will be arriving to save the day when the alliance appears to be falling apart. I guess you could add a third thing for good measure as well. 3. Ready the Sunday Circuit!! McCain, Graham, Lieberman, and Kerry are on their way. This group gets more air time on the Sunday Circuit when they have nothing to talk about than the Jacksons get on CNN. Now that they are partnering to save the planet and the Copenhagen Summit, expect to see them make multiple appearances in the weeks to come.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., together with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., said Wednesday they would work in conjunction with the White House to patch together a bill that could pass the U.S. Senate.
The three senators met individually with Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Carol Browner, the president’s assistant for energy and climate change.
“Our effort is to try to reach out to broaden the base of support …,” Kerry said at an afternoon news conference. “The key here is to really negotiate once, in a sense.”
Graham, who has come under fire in his home state for his support of action on climate change, said working on legislation was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” to solve two problems: heat-trapping carbon dioxide pollution and the country’s dependence on foreign sources of fuel.
“If environmental policy is not good business policy, you will not get 60 votes,” Graham warned. “The green economy is coming. We can either follow or lead.”
Please let this be the tipping point, the last straw, the point of no return, the unforgivable act that finally makes South Carolina Republicans wake up and smell the tainted bipartisan BS filled air that follows Senator Graham around like the PigPen stench from Charlie Brown. Please let this be his final act of centrist governance. Please find a candidate to replace him that has an ounce of genuine conservatism running through his/her veins.
Republican lawmakers are demanding a more thorough economic analysis of the measure, which would reduce heat-trapping gases by 83 percent by 2050, saying it will raise energy prices and cause job losses.
But the bill, which would set up a market for pollution permits, has also raised concerns among moderate Democrats, including Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont.
Kerry, Graham and Lieberman stressed Wednesday that their “dual track” for climate legislation would not usurp Boxer’s efforts, or the work of five other committees that have jurisdiction over energy and climate policy. They also said they had the blessing of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Instead, they said they would take the best pieces of the Kerry-Boxer bill and try to broaden support by adding more incentives for nuclear power and offshore drilling that could bring some Republicans and moderate Democrats on board.
Tony Kreindler, a spokesman for the Environmental Defense Fund, said the three senators “have given a new life to a bipartisan process.”
Left unanswered was how long the new process would take. Kerry said he would not be bound by a specific time frame. But with a month left until 192 nations gather in Copenhagen, Denmark to hammer out a new international treaty to slow global warming, the Obama administration and Democrats are under pressure to show movement on a climate bill.
The House passed its version of the bill in June.
“This is the year that we’ve got to reach out to each other and get the 60 votes to get something done,” said Lieberman. Lieberman co-authored a global warming bill last year along with former Republican Sen. John Warner of Virginia and Boxer. The measure failed to get enough votes to advance on the Senate floor
What the hell is this guy doing? Can someone tell him that he is a republican? Who wants cap and trade? liberals – is he one?