Global Warming Spliting GOP Contenders

[RestoreGore]

I think Al Gore is right. I think global warming/climate change is going to be an issue in this campaign on both sides in the coming months. His winning the Nobel Peace Prize catapulted him into a position that Republicans will seek to compete with regarding this crisis, with Democrats seeking to cooperate with it. This may not be much to some, and hell no, I would never vote for a Republican regardless of what he says, but just reading that they are even talking about it in their campaigns and even admitting it exists proves the point that Al Gore's work in creating awareness of it is indeed working.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/us/politics/17climate.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1192647604-KYQIZodlINzpLCOOrEvPQQ

Global Warming Starts to Divide G.O.P. Contenders

By MARC SANTORA
Published: October 17, 2007
While many conservative commentators and editorialists have mocked concerns about climate change, a different reality is emerging among Republican presidential contenders. It is a near-unanimous recognition among the leaders of the threat posed by global warming.

Within that camp, however, sharp divisions are developing. Senator John McCain of Arizona is calling for capping gas emissions linked to warming and higher fuel economy standards. Others, including Rudolph W. Giuliani and Mitt Romney, are refraining from advocating such limits and are instead emphasizing a push toward clean coal and other alternative energy sources.

All agree that nuclear power should be greatly expanded.

The debate has taken an intriguing twist. Two candidates appealing to religious conservatives, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas and Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas, call for strong actions to ease the effects of people on the climate, at times casting the effort in spiritual terms just as some evangelical groups have taken up the cause.

The emergence of climate change as an issue dividing Republicans shows just how far the discussion has shifted since 1997, when the Senate voted, 95 to 0, to oppose any international climate treaty that could hurt the American economy or excused China from responsibilities.

The debate among Republicans is largely not about whether people are warming the planet, but about how to deal with it.

The issue inserted itself into the presidential campaign on Friday with the announcement that Al Gore had won the Nobel Peace Prize for work highlighting the threat posed by climate change.

The leading Democratic candidates rushed to praise Mr. Gore, underlying how that party has sought to seize the issue with proposals like higher standards for fuel mileage and taxing emissions of carbon dioxide.

The issue had been gradually bubbling up among leading Republicans as top corporations, including some in petroleum, have been pushing to address it.

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