James Walleyed Baker

A useful concordance:

Reality-based community	Unreality-based community
Finite resources	Infinite resources

Via Quark Soup

Former Secretary of State James Baker, a close ally of the Bush family, broke ranks with the Bush administration on Thursday and called for the United States to get serious about global warming.

Baker, in a speech to an audience that included a number of oil company executives, said "orderly" change to alternative energy was needed.

"It may surprise you a little bit, but maybe it's because I'm a hunter and a fisherman, but I think we need to a pay a little more attention to what we need to do to protect our environment," he told the Houston Forum Club.

"When you have energy companies like Shell and British Petroleum, both of which are perhaps represented in this room, saying there is a problem with excess carbon dioxide emission, I think we ought to listen," Baker said.

It looks as if Baker has initiated the process of joining the reality-based community. However, what he does not say probably tells more than his "sportsman" concerns about climate change. For instance, why did he not say anything about Oil Depletion? Given the amount of time that Baker has spent with the Saudis and other mideast oil producers, he could have easily mentioned our oil future with just as much credibility. And impact. Fisherman have just as much concern about gas used in towing their boats to secluded and remote lakes and the amount they use to powering their 100+ horse-power bass boats.

He likely does know, but perhaps Baker realizes the futility of bring up the O.D. subject. The reality it presents may just turn off too many people; smart politics does not dwell on depressing subjects. On the other hand, he may think that climate change/global warming presents a challenge for people to adapt in interesting and maybe "sporty" ways. After all, the majority of hunters and fisherman have never shied away from extremes in temperature.