McCain's green efforts 'futile' (OneNewsNow.com)

McCain's green efforts 'futile'

Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 5/20/2008 11:30:00 AM

Environmental policy expert Steve Milloy says Republican presidential nominee John McCain's effort to reach out to so-called "green voters" is a futile one.

Senator McCain (R-Arizona) says he plans to fight global warming by instituting a cap and trade system for limiting carbon emissions, with specific targets for national emission cutbacks. He is also trying to appeal to environmentalists by promoting "eco-friendly" campaign merchandise on his website. The items include "Go Green" shirts, hats, and visors with the recycle logo. He is also selling organic cotton "onesies" for babies, as well as "Go Green" McCain tote bags, notebooks, and travel mugs.

Milloy, a Fox News columnist and publisher of JunkScience.com, says McCain mistakenly believes that people who are historically left-leaning Democrats will vote for him "because he's green, too."

"Of course, this will never work. People who vote for the environment are also going to be voting against the Iraq War," he argues. "There's no chance he's going to pick up any of these people."

Instead, says Milloy, McCain is "just kowtowing and selling the rest of us out."

"[A]ll his global warming alarmism and his other environmental policies are all bad for Americans -- it's just going to raise energy prices. They're going to hurt the economy; it's not going to help America," Milloy contends.

In a recent speech on global warming, McCain condemned what he called the "dead-end of failed diplomacy that claimed Kyoto." However, McCain and 94 other senators voted against the international treaty designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Milloy believes McCain has flip-flopped.

To illustrate his argument, Milloy points out that greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. have dropped significantly because much of the manufacturing process have moved to countries like China and India -- countries McCain mentioned in his speech.

" ... John McCain said that 'even if China and India' ... are not going to cut down on their emissions, we're going to cut down," he summarizes. "So, we're going to hurt our economy; meanwhile, if you are worried about carbon-dioxide emissions, they're just going to be coming out of China and India. They're going to be like the world's CO2 smokestacks," Milloy explains.

It was hypocritical of McCain, according to Milloy, to deliver his climate speech at a wind technology plant because wind power is one of the most heavily subsidized forms of energy. Some analysts say a large reason McCain performed poorly in the Iowa Republican caucuses was his criticism of ethanol subsidies.

Milloy says it is great that McCain has "been strong on the war in Iraq," but argues there is a war going on in America over energy and economic policy -- and says if the country loses that battle, "it's not going to matter what happens in Iraq."