According to the Daily Telegraph, a senior Liberal Democrat Member of the British Parliament recently labeled President George W. Bush as a mass murderer. This criticism comes in reaction to the President’s refusal to ratify the 1997 Kyoto Treaty on greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. President Bush’s decision was a major disappointment- if hardly a surprise- to Europe, particularly the member countries of the European Union. However, comments that essentially accuse Mr. Bush of criminal behavior betray a blind commitment to a political agenda whose foundation is shaky at best.
The Telegraph quotes Malcom Bruce, one of the Liberal Democratic Party’s highest ranking politicians, as saying that President Bush is “worse than many dictators” because of the number of people who were executed in Texas during his time as the state governor. Mr. Bruce linked this accusation with the President’s refusal to honour the Kyoto Treaty by claiming that Mr. Bush plans now “to kill thousands or millions around the world by lethal pollution”. This argument is badly flawed.
During Mr. Bush’s governorship, the State of Texas executed 152 people. Whether or not capital punishment is an appropriate sentence is a different debate; these 152 people were found guilty in a court of law for crimes that, under law, are deemed punishable by death. The fact that their legal sentence was duly carried out while Mr. Bush was governor does not make him personally responsible for their deaths, any more than an airline captain is responsible for the death of a man who happens to pass away while his aircraft is overhead.
Meanwhile, back at the Kyoto ranch, it was recognized when it was signed by then-Vice President Al Gore that the Kyoto Treaty would have little chance of American ratification. Even before Mr. Gore put pen to paper, the Senate had voted 95-0 not to support any emissions treaty that did not include China and India as signatories, since the emissions of those countries have the potential to eventually rival those of the United States. China and India were not invited to the Kyoto Treaty.
Furthermore, President Bush clearly stated his lack of support for the Kyoto Treaty during his election campaign. Apart from the fact that China and India would not be held accountable to the treaty, committing to Kyoto would involve an enormous economic cost to America, as her predominantly oil fired power stations would have to be replaced by natural gas. For a man in charge of a country that is currently experiencing energy shortages and whose economy has recently experienced a few trembles, this is not a valid option. For President Bush, the United States of America should come before the rest of the world. That is his job.
This is not to say that the President is all for filling the sky with greenhouse gas and laughing gleefully while the oceans rise. Mr. Bush has voiced intent to work with other countries- Germany in particular- to help reduce greenhouse emissions. The Kyoto Treaty is simply not the appropriate means to do so.
Malcom Bruce is entitled to feel disappointment- even anger- that once again the United States has decided to flaunt popular international political opinion. However, to voice his opinion by bashing Mr. Bush’s character displays both a dedication to a cause that is unlikely to achieve its goals, and a reluctance- or even an inability- to logically and objectively appraise the situation. I don’t think that either of these are labels that a senior member of an influential political party should be proud to wear.
