President Obama has ostensibly welcomed the highly anticipated climate bill unveiled by Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman, saying that the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill has "underlined the need for energy reform" — and that he hopes the legislation is passed this year. That won't happen, however, say Richard Cowan and Timothy Garner at Reuters, without a big White House push and Obama has given no indication that he's "willing put the same kind of political capital behind the climate bill as he did for health care...." Is this a bill Obama can support? (Watch Senators Kerry and Lieberman introduce the bill)
This bill is too risky: Obama is officially on board, says Yael T. Abouhalkah in the Kansas City Star, but with all the hand-wringing over the Gulf oil spill, he's clearly not ready right now to go to bat for legislation that includes "more offshore drilling." With all the opposition this bill faces already, it's "DOA" unless "Obama gets behind it, 100 percent of the way."
"Is Kerry-Lieberman climate bill DOA?"
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Without changes, he's right to let it die: It's outrageous that, "at great danger to our economy and ecosystem, this bill provides for new offshore oil drilling" at all, says Michael Kieschnick in The Huffington Post. The so-called climate bill isn't about saving the environment any more — it has been "hijacked" by politicians doing the bidding of Big Oil and the utility and nuclear industries. Unless it's fixed, it deserves to die.
"Fix or ditch Kerry Lieberman global warming bill"
He was never going to support it anyway: It's hardly "a shock" that Obama won't push for a bill that includes new — and very necessary — offshore drilling, says Steve Gilbert in Sweetness & Light. Conservatives knew all along that he wasn't "serious" when he proposed that policy.