Last weekend at at the White House Correspondents Assiciation Dinner, Laruie David, producer of "An Inconvenient Truth" and Sheryl Crow approached Karl Rove about the issue of global warming and there was a heated debate. From the Washington Post article:
"News of the dust-up filtered quickly through the room. Some witnesses said David was very aggressive with Rove; a shaken Crow later said that Rove was "combative and unresponsive.""
You can read the whole article at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/22/AR2007042200353.htmlNow I can believe both parties got into a heated argument. When you have David and Crowe confront Rove at a dinner and start a debate about global warming, there are bound to be some fireworks.
However, how David and Crow describe the event, Rove is just an evil son of a bitch and David and Crow just went over there to have a nice talk.
This is from a blog from Huttington Post site by David and Crow(
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-david-and-sheryl-crow/karl-rove-gets-thrown-und_b_46501.html):
"Last night Thelma and Louise drove the bus off the cliff or at least into the White House Correspondents Dinner. The "highlight" of the evening had to be when we were introduced to Karl Rove. How excited were we to have our first opportunity ever to talk directly to the Bush Administration about global warming."
Hmm...they were introduced...The article says they "walked over to Table 92 at the Hilton Washington to chat with Karl Rove". And I am sure they were excited to make their feelings known. I think they wanted to demand change and not talk, but I digress.
"We asked Mr. Rove if he would consider taking a fresh look at the science of global warming. Much to our dismay, he immediately got combative. And it went downhill from there."
And I am sure they were just that polite about the subject. I am sure David made a statement like "Kind sir, could you please take a fresh look at the global warming issue?" and with that Rove got combative. I think there was more to the dicussion than asking to take a fresh look.
"We reminded the senior White House advisor that the US leads the world in
global warming pollution and we are doing the least about it. Anger flaring, Mr.
Rove immediately regurgitated the official Administration position on global
warming which is that the US spends more on researching the causes than any
other country."
Notice how again David and Crow are so polite, but Rove's response was in anger. David also uses the negative word 'regurgitated' for Rove's response. David and Crowe told Rove the US leads the world in global warming pollution. Rove, who has probably heard this over and over again, told them the US spends more on research than any other country. While David and Crowe paint themselfs as polite, Rove was an ass with his response.
"We felt compelled to remind him that the research is done and the results are
in (www.IPCC.ch). Mr. Rove exploded with even
more venom. Like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum, Mr. Rove launched into a
series of illogical arguments regarding China not doing enough thus neither
should we. (Since when do we follow China's lead?)"
Again, notice how David and Crowe are so nice and civil, yet Rove is irrational and acting like a raving lunatic.
The argument about China is not illogical. I am only assuming the argument that Rove brought up, but David and Crowe probably brought up the Kyoto Protocal, which is not signed by the US, to control emmission and help stop global warming. The reason the US did not sign it was because third world countries or developing countries were exempt, including China, India and a host of others.
Furthemore, "the International Energy Agency predicted that China would surpass the United States as the largest contributor of CO2 by 2009" (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/20/opinion/main2710678.shtml).
Besides all that, "scientists warn that for the world to have a fight chance...emissions will have to be reduced by as much as 70 percent....the Kyoto Protocol...currently calls for only a 5.5 percent reduction from 1990 levels..." (http://www.conservationbiology.org/CIP/article72get.cfm).
So the China issue is not irrational. And the last part which says when do we follow China...a red herring...this has nothing to do with the issue. David and Crowe throw that in there to have you believe that Rove is somehow taking a lead from China and they do not understand that. We are not taking a lead from China...We want China to comply as well. The whole world has to contribute, not just the US.
"In his attempt to dismiss us, Mr. Rove turned to head toward his table, but
as soon as he did so, Sheryl reached out to touch his arm. Karl swung around and
spat, "Don't touch me." How hardened and removed from reality must a person be
to refuse to be touched by Sheryl Crow? Unfazed, Sheryl abruptly responded, "You
can't speak to us like that, you work for us." Karl then quipped, "I don't work
for you, I work for the American people." To which Sheryl promptly reminded him,
"We are the American people.""
Have you ever been in a heated argument? During this argument if one of your opponents touches you, would you not tell the person not to touch you? I know I would...and have.
And who is Crowe, the second coming of Christ? Jesus...Crowe went out to touch him and Rove said "Don't touch me". David and Crowe would make you want to believe that anyone that does not want to be touched by Crowe is has a heart of stone. Give me a break.
And then Crowe saying Rove cannot speak to her like that. What right does she have to talk to Rove like that. Just because Rove works for the people does not mean she has the right to be rude...oh wait a minute...thats right...David and Crowe are the victims of this...they are so nice and Rove is so evil...for a minute there I forgot.
"At that point Mr. Rove apparently decided he had had enough. Like a
groundhog fearful of his own shadow, he scurried to his table in an attempt to
hibernate for another year from his responsibility to address global warming.
Drama aside, you would expect as an American citizen to be able to engage in a
civil discussion with a public official. Instead, Mr. Rove was dismissive,
condescending, and quite frankly a bully."
Again...it is Rove that was not civil...David and Crowe were perfectly civil. Of course he had enough. He had nothing more to say. David and Crowe had their view...Rove has his...he probably walked away because he felt he was being attacked. Could that be the reason? No...not according to David and Crowe...he should talk to them because they are the all knowing...Al Gore told them everything about global warming so they must be right. Anyone who does not believe them must be dismissive.
"Ultimately, we were left wondering what on Earth Mr. Rove was talking about
when he said "the American people." If more than 60% of American voters, the
Supreme Court, over 400 cities, the US National Academy of Sciences, numerous
major US corporations, and others don't constitute the American people, then
what does? The truth is, if this administration cared one iota about the
American people, they would have addressed this problem long ago, and the sad
reality is that this problem has been left to us, all of us, since the current
administration has abandoned this issue entirely. In the absence of true
leadership, we must guide ourselves. We can solve this, but we had better act
fast."
I think what he meant by "the American people" was I just do not work for Crowe when she made the remark "you work for me". Can you imagine if you went up to a police officer giving you a ticket and you said "Hey buddy, you work for me...I aint going to take that ticket" Well Crowe, he works for me too and I agree with Rove...do I not have a say or is it just you and David?
As for the stats, i got these stats from a Time survey (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1176967,00.html). They are all over the map, but they generally correspond with the stats David and Crowe listed.
Finally, David and Crowe end with the typical "Bush does not care" and they have not addressed the problem. I am surprised they did not write Bush=Hilter or invoke Halliburton in there for good measure. Rove does not agree with us, therefore they do not care about the enviroment. (Rolls eyes).
The point to all this...I do not think David and Crowe were as nice as they let on to believe. Don't get me wrong...I believe the argument was heated on both sides and tempers flared...on both sides.
However, I do not believe that David and Crowe were just perfect angels in this. I believe they instigated this arugment by approaching Rove. Rove thought he was being attacked, which I would belive in his position as well.
We will probably never know how each party behaved, but in my opinion, David and Crowe were just as nasty and rude as they make Rove out to be.
