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The past few presidential campaigns, environmental activists have "been left begging for there to be a single question at a campaign debate about climate change," longtime climate change activist and author Bill McKibben recently told NPR. "This time around I'm not worried in the least. I think it's going to be one of the central topics in the primary," McKibben said, "and then I think whoever wins the Democratic nomination is going to try and ram the issue straight down Trump's throat." Indeed, Democratic voters told a CNN poll this week that aggressively addressing climate change is more important than...

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, appearing in a taped interview Sunday on "Meet the Press," defended GOP presidential candidate John McCain as "the real deal on the environment". "I'm very proud of him. I'm 100 percent behind him," he told Tom Brokaw. Schwarzenegger acknowledged that he doesn't support everything McCain has proposed, just as he isn't always in accord with his wife, Maria Shriver, a Democrat who has endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. "That (McCain and I) don't agree on everything, it's clear. Nor do I agree with my wife," he said. But "he's terrific with the environment," and with a President...

The Sierra Club, one of the nation's most radical environmental organizations, announced its endorsement of Senator Obama (D-Ill.) for president. The Club's executive director, Carl Pope, said, “It’s a ‘no brainer.’ Senator McCain’s recent push for nuclear power and off-shore drilling sealed the deal.” “Today’s energy shortages and high gasoline prices are the best thing that’s happened for the environment since the Carter Administration,” Pope went on. “People are driving less and learning to do without. Senator Obama understands the importance of this for provoking real change. He will keep prices up and push this country toward a more natural...

The governor's office said Schwarzenegger would skip a planned address to the 47th annual Capital Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday. Instead, he will appear with Republican presidential hopeful John McCain at an environmentally-themed campaign event in Santa Barbara. Organizers believe it is the first time a sitting governor has declined to address the annual gathering, although there is no official record. State Assemblyman Rick Keene has organized the breakfast for the past three years. A spokesman for the Chico Republican, Evan Oneto, said Keene was saddened when he learned the governor would be a no-show. Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said the...

Al Gore announced his endorsement of Barack Obama Monday and promised to help the Democrat achieve what eluded him _ the presidency. In a letter to be e-mailed to Obama supporters, the former vice president and Nobel Prize winner wrote, "From now through Election Day, I intend to do whatever I can to make sure he is elected president of the United States." In 2000, Gore won the popular vote but lost the disputed 2000 election to George W. Bush, who captured Florida and its electoral votes after a divided Supreme Court ended the recount. Since then, Gore has made...

Campaign '08: Barack Obama plans to lower our standard of living to fight climate change and make the world love us. The last time you may be able to drive your SUV may be to an Obama rally.Campaigning in environmentally conscious Oregon over the weekend, Obama lit into Republican John McCain's environmental and energy policies. "For him to come to Oregon as an environmental president, but his big strategy is to do more drilling and to have a gas-tax holiday for three months, that's a phony solution," Obama said. Well, increasing domestic drilling and lowering taxes, even temporarily, doesn't sound...

It’s not quite Birkenstocks and tie-dyed T-shirts, but presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) has shown he’s willing to go the extra mile to embrace the global warming movement. The latest sign of that is the recently introduced “eco-friendly” campaign merchandise the McCain campaign has showcased on its Web site. Included are his and hers “Go Green” McCain embroidered polo shirts, T-shirts, hats and visors with or without the recycle logo. Organic cotton onesies for the babies. You can also find “Go Green” McCain tote bags, notebooks and travel mugs (with up to 100 percent recycled material and...

WASHINGTON – Sen. John McCain called Monday for reductions in carbon emissions and criticized the Bush administration for failing to lead the fight against climate change. "We have many advantages in the fight against global warming, but time is not one of them. … We stand warned by serious and credible scientists across the world that time is short and the dangers are great," the Arizona Republican said in a speech delivered at a wind-energy facility in Portland, Ore. "The most relevant question is whether our own government is equal to the challenge." McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, proposed...

John McCain kicks off his “climate change tour” in Portland today. The Associated Press regurgitates the McCain emphasis on how he will push “free-market principles” to reduce global warming, which he is convinced is real and primarily man-made. (Update: Allahpundit’s got the new accompanying campaign ad.) Take this with a gi-normous grain of salt, my friends: In remarks prepared for delivery Monday at a Portland, Ore., wind turbine manufacturer, the presidential contender says expanded nuclear power must be considered to reduce carbon-fuel emissions. He also sets a goal that by 2050, the country will reduce carbon emissions to a level...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuRHRRYHKIY

Sep. 20, 2005 - A vast majority of voters favors stronger policies to protect the environment, but the issue still ranks low on their list of priorities, according to a survey released Tuesday. The survey found that 79 percent favor "stronger national standards to protect our land, air and water," including 40 percent who strongly support the idea. But only 22 percent said environmental issues played a major role in their recent voting. The survey was conducted by Hart Associates and Public Opinion Strategies for the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University "There is a clear disconnect...

The differences between George W. Bush and John Kerry on the environment can be measured by the same yardstick that scientists often use to measure pollution: parts per million. That's because the prize in the political battle over the environment isn't a huge number of voters, but the smaller number who haven't decided whom they'll support, or whether they'll vote at all. Analysts say the environment, like many other issues such as education or crime, is rarely a prime factor for most voters. In an election dominated by the economy and the war in Iraq, the percentage of people who...

<p>WASHINGTON — Environmentalists critical of President Bush's record say they believe his policies will help get out the environmental vote for his Democratic opponent in 2004.</p> <p>But while Democrats generally fare better than Republicans when it comes to the environment, polls show that few voters make their decision on a candidate based primarily on environmental issues.</p>