Scotched in Scotland

The G8 Summit in Scotland is over. As honcho of the convening country that set the agenda, Brit Prime Minister Tony Blair was widely praised for placing world poverty and the climate crisis at the top of the agenda---and he would have been even without the show of support after the terror bombings.

After that things get murky. When it came to farm subsidies reform, European nations stuck close to their self-interest. But on the larger questions, it was Bushcorps that spoiled the apples. Even on the one major accomplishment---doubling aid to Africa---Bush had to brag that it didn't cost the U.S. anything it wasn't already going to spend.

But the Climate Crisis was as usual the main rot.Bushcorps prevented the conference from endorsing real emissions goals, while continuing to argue that Kyoto standards would wreck the U.S. economy, economic studies to the contrary. But the Bushitters had at least a possible point that the emphasis should be placed on alternative energy. But in the end, it was all talk. Bush didn't commit a cent to development or research.

Bush is going to be remembered for many crimes against the country: lying the U.S. into a war of aggression, turning a surplus needed to address pressing present and near-certain future problems into a devastating deficit---those will probably dwarf the others. But one crime against the world, it's people and it's life will be what he's doing and failing to do about the climate crisis. He's the new and global Nero. Bush twaddles while the world burns.