Gore Blasts Bush Space Plan, Says Earth Neglected

Reuters via Yahoo! ^ | Thursday, January 15, 2004 | By Nichola Groom

[Momaw Nadon]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore scoffed at President Bush's plan to send astronauts to the moon and Mars and said Bush was a "moral coward" for ignoring global environmental threats.

Speaking at an event sponsored by political advocacy groups MoveOn.org and Environment2004, Gore said Bush's record on the environment routinely puts the wishes of the coal, oil, utility and mining industries ahead of public interests.

"Instead of spending enormous sums of money on an unimaginative and retread effort to make a tiny portion of the moon habitable for a handful of people, we should focus instead on a massive effort to ensure that the Earth is habitable for future generations," Gore said to a cheering Manhattan crowd.

The speech is one of a series Gore, who served two terms as vice president under President Bill Clinton, has made criticizing Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, the economy, and other issues. Gore lost to Bush in the 2000 election after winning the popular vote and has ruled out a rematch in 2004.

On Wednesday, Bush announced plans to send humans back to the moon as early as 2015 and eventually to Mars -- an initiative critics derided as motivated by election-year politics that could cost hundreds of billions of dollars. His dad, former President George Bush, proposed in 1989 to send humans back to the moon and on to Mars, but that idea went nowhere.

Gore accused Bush of reneging on environmental promises made while campaigning for the White House, saying Bush's "seemingly heartfelt declaration" that he was concerned about global warming and the environment was just lip service.

"While President Bush likes to project an image of strength and courage, the truth is that in the presence of his large financial contributors he is a moral coward -- so weak that he seldom, if ever, says 'No' to anything that they want to do," Gore said.

In particular, Gore took aim at Bush's "Clear Skies" bill, which limits emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and mercury but fails to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide, which is believed to contribute to global warming.

He also criticized Bush's so-called "Healthy Forest" initiative, which the White House said would reduce the risk of forest wildfires but which environmental groups said promoted logging at the expense of environmental protection.

According to Gore, such policies underscore Bush's goal of satisfying the interests of large industrial corporations in return for hefty campaign contributions.

"It seems at times as if the Bush-Cheney Administration is wholly owned by the coal, oil, utility and mining companies," he said.

While environmental issues dominated the speech, Gore still criticized Bush's handling of foreign policy, saying he has "caused America to be seen by the other nations of the world as showing disdain for the international community."

[Momaw Nadon]

FYI and discussion

[Az Joe]

Gore's speech was sponsered by and in front of MoveOn.org members. Yet he doesn't condemn their encouragement of rabid, insane Bush hatred and comparisons to Hitler.

Gee, Lott got taken down because he was trying to be kind to an old man on his 100th birthday.

[Dr. Marten]

aww..how sweet! Gore is a tree hugger...

[SolutionsOnly]

I think Gore is history.

Now that he's endorsed Dean, and Dean is on the wrong side of the DNC power struggle, and Dean's campaign is starting to melt down, Gore's political career is over.

[Az Joe]

Hey, how does everyone make that alternate name that follows their actual screen name in the posts they make?

[adam_az]

Gore needs one of these:

[boris]

Isn't this the fellow who invented the multi-million dollar orbiting screensaver?

[Momaw Nadon]

Ping!

[Eala]

The press thinks he's history too, and forgotten: Gore, who served two terms as vice president under President Bill Clinton,...

[adam_az]

ping

[11th Earl of Mar]

If Bush is a moral corward, Clinton was a moral traitor.

[Just Lori]

He also criticized Bush's so-called "Healthy Forest" initiative, which the White House said would reduce the risk of forest wildfires but which environmental groups said promoted logging at the expense of environmental protection.


Uh huh.... leave all the tinder lying around on the forest floor.... leave all the dead trees which burn like matchsticks, so the ENTIRE forest can be decimated. Everybody loses, but that's better than loggers making a few bucks cleaning up the forest to keep it around for all to enjoy (including the spotted owl and bambi), right? Makes sense, right?

[swampfox98]

I'll vote for Bush if he will put algor in a rocket and send him to Mars. Soon..

[Batrachian]

Is Gore writing another book? We seem to be hearing an awful lot about him lately. I'm getting suspicious.

[Libloather]

...political advocacy group Environment2004...

Did Environment2003 do any good?

[evolved_rage]

He also criticized Bush's so-called "Healthy Forest" initiative, which the White House said would reduce the risk of forest wildfires but which environmental groups said promoted logging at the expense of environmental protection.

Why log the trees when they burn so nicely.

[DBrow]

Gore scoffed at Bush's space plan?

Not the same Gore that wanted to put a sat in the Earth-Sun L3 position with a camera constantly pointing at Earth, so children worldwide could click into the internet and get a picture of Earth from space? And never mentioned this brilliant idea to NASA until the speech announcing the plan? That Gore?

[Jet Jaguar]

When you post/reply to an article you have the option of adding a tagline. the feature appears at the bottom of screen.
I hope this is what you meant.

[nothingnew]

"While President Bush likes to project an image of strength and courage, the truth is that in the presence of his large financial contributors he is a moral coward"

I would so love it for the President to take algore out back and beat the crap out of him for the repeated pesonal insults.

FMCDH

[vannrox]