As far as I can make out, it wasn't a mistake to withdraw from Kyoto. But the Bush team made a complete mess of explaining the decision to Europe. Is the White House finally aware it needs to brush up its presentation? Some encouraging pointers in Irwin Stelzer's preview of the Bush-Blair talks:
Administration officials have long regretted the brusque manner in which they dismissed the Kyoto protocol, supposedly designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Not that the White House thinks the protocol makes any sense: Without the cooperation of China and India, emissions will increase... .
Blair knows that the president does not find the data used by those who believe the earth is warming convincing. But he knows, too, that Bush is concerned about energy security, a good reason for wanting to reduce the use of emission-causing oil, and that the president "has a good story to tell."
America is spending more on clean coal technology, and on reducing the cost of nuclear power, than all of the other members of the G-8 combined. So Blair thinks it absurd that the United States should allow itself to be painted as an anti-environmental thug, opposed to efforts to prevent global warming
