Obama's emissions policy a politicized 'dodge'
Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 1/28/2009 6:00:00 AM
The head of a conservative think tank says President Obama's executive order regarding greenhouse gas emissions was a skillful attempt to enact a liberal policy while trying to avoid appearing "hard left."



President Obama signed an executive order Monday requiring the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider an application by California to set more stringent auto emissions and fuel-efficiency standards than required by federal law. If the EPA grants a waiver allowing California to set its own emissions standards, the nation's largest state will be allowed to require automakers to produce trucks and cars that get better mileage than what is required under the current national standard. Thirteen other states could take similar action. (See related AP video)

George Landrith, president of the Frontiers of Freedom Institute, says Obama's executive order was a clever political move.

"If California does this and it turns out to be a bad move and costs jobs and drive[s] energy prices higher, etcetera, [Obama] can say, 'It's not my fault' -- and that seems to be a lot of what goes on here," he contends. "It's part of the reason I believe the left likes it when courts regulate and tax and legislate, because courts are unaccountable."

Obama, according to Landrith, was trying to make a leftist policy decision, evade accountability, and yet have some deniability.

"It looks like he's talking about federalism. It looks like he's talking about empowering states. And you know, in reality what he's talking about is empowering leftist, socialist command and control systems," he notes. "And then he gets the added benefit of he has a dodge all built into it."

Landrith believes Obama used the same tactic during the presidential campaign when he tried to promote a welfare program by labeling it a tax cut.



I don't know if this is true, I'm just passing it on