Did the Bush Administration cave on climate control?

From New York Magazine via :Talking Points Memo >

Bush-administration officials privately threatened organizers of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, telling them that any chance there might've been for the United States to sign on to the Kyoto global-warming protocol would be scuttled if they allowed Bill Clinton to speak at the gathering today in Montreal, according to a source involved with the negotiations who spoke to New York Magazine on condition of anonymity

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Well, Clinton did speak yesterday, and was hightly critical of the Bush Administrations' position on climate change, so one would think any small hope for US cooperation on Kyoto would now be extinquished. Imagine my surprise when I turned on BBC news to find that the lead story for today is a last minute agreement reached at the conference to continue talks. Granted, an ageement to keep on talking isn't much of a breakthrough, but it does keep the ball rolling, and it is unusual for the Bushies to back down on one of their bullying threats. Is it possible that they want to rejoin the rest of the world or is there some more sinister explanation?

•  Tip Jar?

  After all, I did get up early. OK, I totally failed to put my quote in a grey box even though I thought I followed the instructions correctly, and now I can't edit the diary to just use regular quotes. Can somebody tell me what I did wrong?

  by MadRuth on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 04:12:56 AM PDT

  •  html tags

    The opening tag in your blockquote is messed up.  Let me see if I can figure out how to escape the tags to demonstrate...brb

    Ok, try this:

    <blockquote>quote goes here</blockquote>

    by Cory Bantic on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 05:16:03 AM PDT

    •  Thanks n/t

      by MadRuth on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 05:24:10 AM PDT

      •  np

        interesting diary.  I was wondering how Bill got to speak at this conference.  Sad that in this political reality, continuing the discussion can be construed as caving.

        by Cory Bantic on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 05:43:37 AM PDT

        •  According to the article

          Clinton at one point said he would not give the speech, presumable because of Bush's threat. But he did give the speech, and the parts of it I have seen pulled no punches. I'm wondering what went on behind the scenes.

          by MadRuth on Sat Dec 10, 2005 at 05:52:05 AM PDT