German Reporter To Senator Inhofe: “You’re Ridiculous”
Via Steve Benen, GOP Senator James Inhofe apparently journeyed to Copenhagen to let the pointy-headed Europeans know that America damn well isn’t doing anything about global warming anytime soon. Once there, he had an amusing exchange with a group of reporters:
Inhofe’s aides eventually rustled up a group of reporters, and the Oklahoman — wearing black snakeskin cowboy boots — held forth from the top of a flight of stairs in the conference media center.
“We in the United States owe it to the 191 countries to be well-informed and know what the intentions of the United States are. The United States is not going to pass a cap and trade,” he said. “It’s just not going to happen.”
A reporter asked: “If there’s a hoax, then who’s putting on this hoax, and what’s the motive?”
“It started in the United Nations,” Inhofe said, “and the ones in the United States who really grab ahold of this is the Hollywood elite.”
One reporter asked Inhofe if he was referring to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Another reporter — this one from Der Spiegel — told the senator: “You’re ridiculous.”
European reporter insults GOP statesman for questioning global warming orthodoxy? I’m surprised the right isn’t all over this one already.
In all seriousness, this reporter’s mockery of Inhofe reminds me of something you all point out here regularly: The American media’s willingness to treat the global warming denial of some conservatives with complete deference and respect. This reporter, not so much.
Indeed, the particular epithet he chose pretty neatly encapsulates how this sort of talk from Inhofe — often treated as completely unremarkable here — makes America look in the eyes of our allies. Not that that matters a whit, of course.
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When McChystral opened up his Rosy Scenario Cantina recently in Afghanistan, how come he did not serve up any of this rotgut.
Strange how they are only discovering this reality, after they got the additional Troops that they asked for, so that Afghanistan would become a self reliant nation, in the blink of an eye. Hmmmmmm.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_US_AFGHANISTAN_SECURITY_FORCES?SITE=PASUN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Excerpt:
” A lack of basic infrastructure in Afghanistan is slowing the U.S. effort to build up the Afghan security forces, a government watchdog said Friday.
Outside of larger cities such as Kabul and Kandahar, buildings for Afghan army and police units are often just mud huts – or don’t exist at all, Kenneth Moorefield, a Pentagon assistant inspector general, said at a hearing held by the independent Commission on Wartime Contracting. Roads need to be built to remote sites so supplies can be shipped, but attacks by the Taliban and insurgent groups discourage contractor convoys from making the trips.
Complicating matters more, when a spot for a security building is selected, it must be cleared of land mines, Moorefield said. And that often leads to competing claims of ownership of the land by individuals and families.
“Resolving these claims can sometimes delay projects for over a year,” he said.”
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
WOO HOO! The Right is FURIOUS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Van Jones was RIGHT!
And my above post should read that I agree with SBJ not Liam. Sorry, I mixed the two up.
Liam:
…we will still have ended up with clean air.
The steps proposed by today’s climate alarmists are directed towards reducing CO2 in the atmosphere. CO2 does not make our air “dirty”, and so the reduction of it in the atmosphere will ot make our air cleaner.
On your larger point, you are still ignoring the fact that your “preventative steps” are not free. They have costs.
Even assuming the inevitability of catastrophic warming, have you even considered the possiblity that there might be a method of cooling the earth that is much cheaper and much more effective than these hugely expensive plans to alter our economies and the way we live?
“HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
WOO HOO! The Right is FURIOUS! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Van Jones was RIGHT”
HAHAHAHAHA, furious? What are you talking about? We are laughing at you because this so-called meaningful agreement is a total failure, as the Washington Post and NY Times articles make clear. I am not furious at anything. I am bemused that you think something special was accomplished. Even the White House officials are admitting this bill does absolutely nohting. Furious? Hahaha, I don’t think so.
@Ethan: Let me guess…
Ether?
Shill, you ignorant f*ck, just go away.
@SBJ…”@tena: What’s that saying about lipstick and pigs?”
OMG SBJ…there you go again insulting poor Sarah Palin.
You know what, I’m not going to spend any more time here being accused of being a sycophant cause I don’t feel like criticizing the president.
It’s not worth it to me to put up with these really immature accusations just because I don’t care about tearing this presidency to bits after all we went through for the 8 loooooooooooooong years Bush and the Repugs ran this country.
I don’t mind arguing with trolls but I”ll be damned if I’m going to be insulted by other liberals any more on this just because some liberals are so damned excitable they go off like frakking hand grenade 15 times a day.
I’m just dead tired of being abused for having faith in the president and y’all can stuff it.
Echo…why don’t you return to the chamber where you are a member…you have zero credibility here.
What has your side gotten right?
How about WMD in Iraq?
Being greated as liberators?
The economy..EVER?
Your side f’s up everything whenever they gain power and yet you have the arrogance to come over here and attempt to lecture us. You a real piece of work.
Having you spew your **** is the equivalent of having the Tampa Bay Bucs lecture the New Orleans Saints on how to play football. You guys are losers…you don’t ever negotiate in good faith.. sorry to be so rude but truth is we don’t care what you think because those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it…and history has shown repeatedly what horrible leadership the right provides.
And here come the trolls! HAHA!
This is historic. So awesome. And I certainly predicted the losers and their spin over an hour ago and here you are! HAHA! SHAME ON YOU FOR BEING SO IGNORANT! But I’m laughing at you just the same!
Here are the relevant quotes from the Washington Post and AP story:
1. My favorite, from MSNBC (an AP story): “Obama may eventually become known as ‘the man who killed Copenhagen,’ said Greenpeace U.S. Executive Director Phil Radford.
2. Also from MSNBC: ” ‘It’s weak. There’s nothing ambitious in this text’, said Lumumba Di-Aping of Sudan, a leader of the developing nations bloc.”
3. And from MSNBC again: “Pollution cuts and the best way to monitor those actions remained unresolved. And negotiators also didn’t come to an agreement on an important procedural issue — just what legal form a future deal would take.”
4. From the Washington Post: ” ‘It’s not sufficient to combat the threat of climate change, but it’s an important first step,’ the official said”.
5. From the Washington Post: “The deal appeared to fall short of even modest expectations for the summit.”
6.From the Washington Post: The draft proposal, a political statement labeled “the Copenhagen Accord,” also lacked the kind of independent verification of emission reductions by developing countries that the United States and others demand.
This “deal” is a complete farce. The only meaningful agreement reaches was an agreement that Obama needed to say he accomplished something in order to make it look like his trip was not a complete failure. Guess what? He didn’t succeed.
The only thing I am furious about is the fact Obama keeps putting the prestige of the United States and the office of the presidency on the line and he keeps failing miserably.
“This is historic. So awesome. And I certainly predicted the losers and their spin over an hour ago and here you are! HAHA! SHAME ON YOU FOR BEING SO IGNORANT! But I’m laughing at you just the same!”
The only thing historic here is the magnitude of failure by this president. But as always, Ethan totally ignores that fact. Everyone at the negotiations has said this supposed “deal” is a total joke. Even Obama’s own people stated it did nothing to combat global warming. Yet we get Ethan going off like it is VJ day.
“How about WMD in Iraq?
Being greated as liberators?
The economy..EVER”
My side? You have absolutely NO IDEA my views on WMD, Iraq or the economy during the Bush years. Nice try in attempting to dodge the fact this “agreement” is a complete and utter failure though.
Just like I pointed out. Greedy Right Wing Pricks, like Scott C. only argument against going Green is “cost” “cost” “cost”.
They no the cost of everything, but the value of nothing.
This is the same shower of sanctimonious hypocrites who are always rattling on and and on about how they are “pro-life”. No they are not, because they are willing to sacrifice the living conditions of all future mankind, just so they can continue to plunder the planet.
EPA has ruled that emissions are hazardous to people’s health, but of course that does not bother this shower of Right Wing Greedy Prickys, because they have already shown that they will do anything to keep thirty million or more Americans from having proper health care.
The Republican Party is The Party of Death.
edit:
they know…..
Thanks Echo. Now that Sudan has criticized Obama, we can be sure he’s a failure.
Also, your list fails to take into account how this new agreement does something despite the fact that Copenhagen was headed towards producing NOTHING meaningful.
Why does the right hate context?
Yes, let’s hear Sudan’s ambitious plans for climate change.
Maybe they’ll come up with that right after their ambitious plans to stop the GENOCIDE taking place within their borders.
Report just out from the AP:
“Sudan announces sweeping plan for climate change: kill everyone who stands in our way.
Senator James Inhofe’s comment: “Hmm, I’m listening….”"
Come on, he’s already got Uganda sewn up.
right wing echo chamber is good at cherry picking quotes.
I wonder where he learned that?
It seems to me that the Obama was key to getting these commitments, limited though they are, on paper. If developing companies were allowed to continue to obstruct and countries like China insist that their word was their bond then it would have put an unfair amount of weight on the EU and the US.
One more important thing, this is the first international negotiation that Obama has been a part of and it looks like he has met it with limited success. If there is one thing that you can predict about him, it is that the next time he will not be caught of guard and enter the ring with more complete information about how to seal a legitimate deal (possibly in Mexico next year).
Tena:
“I don’t mind arguing with trolls but I”ll be damned if I’m going to be insulted by other liberals any more on this just because some liberals are so damned excitable they go off like frakking hand grenade 15 times a day.”
Welcome. my Padwan Apprentice. You have taken the first step in your journey to the Dark Side.
You have learned an important lesson today.
Liberals shouldn’t be allowed into policy discussions since they take EVERYTHING personally, and EVERYTHING is some great big moral crusade.
My Master, Darth Cheney is pleased with your progress…
Ethan:
“Yes, let’s hear Sudan’s ambitious plans for climate change.
Maybe they’ll come up with that right after their ambitious plans to stop the GENOCIDE taking place within their borders.”
The Genocide IS their “Climate Change” policy.
Humans exhale carbon dioxide, and according to the EPA, carbon dioxide is a pollutant greenhouse gas.
What you are labelling “genocide” is just Sudan’s way of “going Green”.
“Al Gore should do a half hour show called “Climate Smackdown,” where he would debate a denier like Inhofe for everyone to see.”
Perhaps you should contact him and suggest this, because he steadfastly ducks and refuses debates. When you are a fount of error and misinformation like Algore, that’s what you do.
That’s why up-is-downism works. One can spout the most pungently inane **** and, as long as other tongues are wagging the same way, have no fear of getting called for shenanigans. The MSM spin will be at worst he-said-she-said.
Which reminds me of something, too. . . . I think I read Bernie Latham comment a long time ago that he thought the US MSM had a liberal bias. Bernie, I can’t remember if you were being facetious or not, or even if it was definitely you I’m remembering. Just wondering about your reasoning if it is indeed you and you do hold that view.
The media loves he-said-she-said.
And you’re right about how up-is-downism works.
It’s all about selling tickets to the movie show with these guys.
Tho I have to admit, I just watched Bob Shrum and Chris Matthews team up on Pat Buchannon about climate change denial, and while of course a mind-numbingly stupid conversation on the day of a historic climate accord, it sure was entertaining watching them beat up on him for being so insanely stupid.
People, by engaging the trolls like sbj, scott, that echo nut, bilgey et . al., you’ll fulfilled their agenda – deflect the criticism of the repug. The point of Greg’s post is the ridiculous and traitorous behviour of that rethug, inhofe, and being roundly called by it by a foreign media and subsequent cowardly fleeing from the scene.
And Tena – European press is far more professional than the US msm hacks, despite Hitler.
Climate-change denialism has a parallel with creationism. Evolution’s scientific footing is hugely more solid than that of climate change, and you can still deny evolution without fear of getting called out for the crackpot that makes you.
Specifically, foreign-speaking media. It’s OK if you’re from Australia, mate.
jzap – well played mate.
THAT is precisely how the American press should treat Inhofe and the other GOP @sshats that spout b.s. denying global warming, pushing death panels, or spout other ridiculously idiotic teabagger insanity.
The state of extreme incivility in politics today is partly due to this infantile notion that each side of an issue should be treated equally and respectfully, no matter how imbecilic or silly it is. How about pedophilia? Should the press have one pedophile and one against pedophilia when discussing the issue?
If they are going to represent the actual division among climatologists on global warming, they will have 97 scientists who recognize it as a manmade phenomenon and 3 who don’t. Those three would also be identified to have direct financial ties to industries that have a financial motive in denying global warming.
Inhofe is a teabagging moron who probably doesn’t believe in gravity. He should, however, because when he drools it falls on his snakeskin cowboy boots.