In a campaign speech given in Oregon on May 18th, 2008 Barack Obama said, “We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK.” This may have just sounded like typical campaign rhetoric to most casual consumers of politics, without any conviction but sounding good to the softened sycophants. By itself this statement seems harmless, but taken in context with calls for limiting our use of resources and apologies for what we have used, it supports the call for “Carbon Reparations” where the developed nations, with the United States specifically in Mr. Obama’s mind, pay the developing nations for our past gluttony and allow them to use more while we use less.
President Obama’s current foreign policy stances may seem anemic with regard to Islamic extremism, the pursuit of nuclear energy by nations that can’t be trusted with the rational and peaceful use of such power, and the increasing aggression by our old cold war enemies. Fortunately he is firm with regard to improving America’s standing in the world. As part of his demonstrated attempts at apologizing for America’s past transgressions (re: Cairo Speech) the Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, recently urged India not to emulate America’s “mistakes,” and accepted responsibility on behalf of the U.S. and other developed nations for contributing towards climate change. A few excerpts from a (CNSNews.com) story provide a bit of meat for this bone:
