The hits just keep coming

I didn't know much about Obama's choice for Interior Secretary (Ken Salazar), but all the information I needed was contained in these two paragraphs from the New York Times article about the appointment ("Environmentalists Wary of Obama's Interior Pick"):

Oil and mining interests praised Mr. Salazar’s performance as a state official and as a senator, saying that he was not doctrinaire about the use of public lands. "Nothing in his record suggests he’s an ideologue," said Luke Popovich, spokesman for the National Mining Association. "Here’s a man who understands the issues, is open-minded and can see at least two sides of an issue." ...

"He is a right-of-center Democrat who often favors industry and big agriculture in battles over global warming, fuel efficiency and endangered species," said Kieran Suckling, executive director of Center for Biological Diversity, which tracks endangered species and habitat issues. "He is very unlikely to bring significant change to the scandal-plagued Department of Interior. It’s a very disappointing choice for a presidency which promised visionary change."

Oil and mining interests happy?  Check.  Environmentalists unhappy?  Check.  Yes, I believe I get the picture.  The usual translation applies, by the way: "ideologue" = someone insufficiently dedicated to advancing corporate interests.  I'm sure Suckling, as an actual environmentalist, qualifies.

But this is the most important paragraph in the article:

Mr. Salazar, wearing his customary ten-gallon hat and bolo tie, said that his job entails helping the nation address climate change through a "moon shot" on energy independence. But that would include not just the development of "green" energy sources like wind power, but also the continued domestic development of coal, oil and natural gas, fossil fuels that generate greenhouse gases when they are burned.

Addressing climate change through the continued development of coal is like addressing drug addiction through the continued freebasing of heroin.  Handwaving about the unicorn of "clean coal" aside, though, Obama has done nothing but genuflect to coal and mining interests, and this is just one more bow.  But why should we worry?  It's not like the fate of the entire planet hangs in the balance.  Oh, wait.

So Obama's record of flipping off his liberal supporters remains unbroken.  You've got to admire him; it takes real talent to pull off such a thoroughgoing bait-and-switch, and Obama not only did it but made it look easy.  The guy's a pro—in every sense of the word.

Comments

[Paul Daniel Ash]

This entire sentence was made of win:

Addressing climate change through the continued development of coal is like addressing drug addiction through the continued freebasing of heroin.

So you don't think I'm a total fanboy, though, I'll twit you about "[i]t's not like the fate of the entire planet hangs in the balance." Yes, yes, I know it was just a throwaway like, and I'm sure you know this, but : the planet, from core to crust, gon' be fine. It's the thin scum of biomass on the surface that's goin to suffer.

K. I'm done. Thanks.

[lover of jazz]

i'm starting to get the idea that obama really isn't much of a liberal.

of course, i'm a grown man who only recently figured out that there is no santa claus, so i may be a bit slow on the uptake.

[KDelphi]

I am no longer looking for a "liberal"!! A plain old moderate Democrat would look great to me right now!

Obama's picks, despite what most neo-liberals will say (no matter what he does, apparently)are AWFUL! That is all there is to it.

The Democrats can go straight to hell. I will never vote for one again.

I thought that, with an Af Am from Chicago we would be DONE with COWBOYS!

WHY is Obama having lunch with Cheney and Bush?? Why are the Dems acting like it is ok? Has everyone gone nuts?! We have alot of "fixing" to do , people, and I dont just mean "away from Bush". The neo-cons have taken this country so far RIGHT, that, apparently, most people think "down looks like up"!! This is NOT GOOD..I just cant believe it--and I wasnt even an Obama supporter..those that were should be screeaming from the rooftops! And Vilsac, Mr. Agri-Business? I could go on. Gates. Clinton. C'mon, people.Gawd, we're just gonna take this sh*t again, arent we?

If we stay in Iraq,Afghanistan, keep all of our military bases open, actually increase troop strengths, dont indict Bush et al, keep using Blackwater, do nothing about climate change, pass a Daschle/Baucus "special" (market, profit based) "heatlh" care reform---what is the point?? With the "Team" we have so far--NOTHING will change, but the last name of the president!

[KDelphi]

BTW-- I heard Salazar today--he talked only of "energy independence". Obama has stated he is in favor of "clean coal" (ever live in a coal heated house? no such animal), and offshore driling. Vilsak and Salazar are neither one environmentalists.

What is it that will "change"?

I think that the entire world will be disappointed. We have the MSM to blame for the, in some ways. But Obama and the Dems promoted it all the way.

OK, Obama voters--who would YOU have thought he would pick--for any of these posts?

[John Caruso]

Valentinian: It's the thin scum of biomass on the surface that's goin to suffer.

Carping accepted. Coincidentally, I've been planning to do a posting on that very theme.

lover of jazz: Why would you say that about Santa Claus. I think you are trying to make me cry.

[P.O'd Liberal]

I understand the need for a bi-partisan cabinet and for the need to recognize the conservative American's interest, but what's going on here?

Bush basically ignored the liberals, the left and rarely, if ever, did anything that resembled crossing the party line. Okay, a lot of people hated him. Fine. But a lot of people were happy with his social policies. He pacified the base.

Obama....It's beginning to look like a bait and switch. He talked the talk of a Democratic moderate but with some of these appointees coupled with the the decision to let that effing pastor speak at the inauguration, I feel like we elected today's version of a Dixiecrat. Either he's a pussy who's afraid of pissing off the conservatives or something else is going on....Maybe someone got into his pocket.

[Mike]

He talked the talk of a Democratic moderate

(a) Anyone who paid any attention to what he said during the campaign realised that he was either saying nothing at all or saying things that directly contradicted his voting record. People who kept pointing this out were shot down by The Cult of Obama because, well, because we just had to elect Obama, that's all.

(b) The US doesn't need a Democratic moderate. What it needs is a fucking flaming left-wing radical with a support base behind him that will run roughshod over the shits that have been running the country and the world into the ground for the past 40 years. It needs pitchforks and torches and brickbats. It needs burning cars and public trials. It needs declassified documents, impeachments, and maybe some hangings.

But, meh, we've got Barack. Oh, well.

[Rosemary Molloy]

Yeah. So I voted for Nader.

[Donald Johnson]

Hey, if you want carping I'm up to the challenge. Even sterilizing the biosphere is beyond us--bacteria are tough. According to computer models they can survive impacts of asteroids up to 300 km in diameter (which puts you hundreds of billions to low trillion megaton range in nuclear weapons terms, depending on the speed). Obama might suck as an environmental president, but he's not going to be as bad as the Late Heavy Bombardment.

[JMC]

Not that I'm a fan of Obama, but I wouldn't characterize his string of bad picks as "unbroken." Nader or McKinney couldn't have found anybody better than Steve Chu to lead Energy. But Chu's job is going to be even tougher surrounded by the likes of Salazar and LaHood.

[John Caruso]

Mike: Paragraph (b) is pure poetry; nicely said. If only....

JMC: That's a fair point, though I was speaking in terms of how his picks come across to his supporters, and in those terms Chu strikes me as neutral rather than negative (which does still break the string, though). I knew I was overstating the case slightly, but couldn't bring myself to type "nearly" or "all but".

[KDelphi]

I know what we need...I am just talking about, possibly, slowing the damage...

[KDelphi]

Chu supports nuclear energy. But, then so does Obama--but, I didnt support Obama, so I am allowed to complain right?

Just depends on whether you like Three Mile Island..

[KDelphi]

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/12/is-steven-chu-bff-with-bp.html?welcome=true

THAT is what Chu is about...

[JMC]

KDelphi, the BP deal is corporate welfare, but at least the R&D goal (cellulosic ethanol) would be a good thing. Unfortunately, that's par for the course in science these days: public money for development, corporate privatization of any profits.

I think you sell Chu short by saying he's "pro-nuclear"... he's not as "anti-nuclear" as I'd want, but he at least seems to appreciate the waste and weapons proliferation problems that are usually glossed over by nuke supporters.

I attended a lecture of Chu's in Berkeley a couple years ago, and came away impressed; the video is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLr4YbStc0M

It also looks like Solis may be another break in the streak of bad appointments. I don't know much about her, but I have great respect for Van Jones, and he's a fan.

It's sad that people are getting more worked up about Obama's latest homophobic preacher scandal than they are about people who are being picked as policy makers. Nobody besides policy wonks seems to be paying attention to these cabinet picks.

[KDelphi]

JMC--I care very much about policy, as , I am not an Obama supporter. So, all I care about is what policies he supports. Out country is in deep shit, and, I care alot more about policies than personalities.

I trust the MoJo article on Chu more. They have been Obama supporters all the way, to my dismay. Cellulosic ethanol is NOT an answer to our fuel or environmental problems! It has made the price of food rise (well, it is not the only thing), and we cannot possibly grow enough of it.

As for "par for the course"--I thought Obama was supposed to be so 'different"...

I think that people are upset over Warren (as am I) becuse they see another evangelical, and, it is a "pattern" of neo-con type appiontee, as well as "friends". When Obama did the Saddlebadck "debate", there was much debate as to whether he should even do it, with such a man.

Sorry, no pass for Warren...

[Jim Peterson]

I can see how this is an important topic but what I want to know is; what is he going to do about the 'War on Drugs'? We have so many people who are in need of alcohol treatment programs but because we spend so much money on drugs in other countries that are failing to get the help to the people who need it in our country. What is he going top do to solve this problem? Narconon Vista Bay Alcohol Treatment Centers are a great solution with a high success rate. I hope that we can get more facilities in our country.