2004: Bullet Dodged, Impact Merely Delayed

In 2004, the nation clearly dodged a bullet when it avoided electing John Kerry — of course, the disastrous impact of a potential Kerry presidency could be witnessed firsthand when Barack Obama was elected four years later, as the two share a remarkably similar worldview, elitist hauteur, and love of all things radical chic.

But Kerry’s worldview can be remarkably “nonjudgmental” when he wants it to be…

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee warned against “prejudging” the Muslim Brotherhood as Mohammed Morsi became Egypt’s first Islamist president today.

“During my recent visits to Cairo, I’ve had two candid discussions with the new president. He’s acknowledged that the central issue to Egypt’s future is economic. His words suggest he understands the gravity of the challenges facing Egypt,” Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said today.

“In our discussions, Mr. Morsi committed to protecting fundamental freedoms, including women’s rights, minority rights, the right to free expression and assembly, and he said he understood the importance of Egypt’s post-revolutionary relationships with America and Israel,” he added. “Ultimately, just as it is anywhere in the world, actions will matter more than  words.”

Kerry said Egypt faces many challenges, but remains a “bellwether for the long term meaning of the Arab Spring.”

“Obviously American concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood’s past statements and positions are widely shared and well understood. But it would be a mistake for us to pull back from our engagement with a free and democratic Egypt,” the senator said. “This is a time to test intentions not to prejudge them. All parties must come together to build a better future for the Egyptian people and I will continue to monitor Egypt’s political transition with great interest.”

…And remarkably firm when it comes to the topics near and dear to his heart:

In what was touted as a “major floor speech” on the eve of the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Kerry urged Congress to fight the “insidious conspiracy of silence on climate change — a silence that empowers misinformation and mythology to grow where science and truth should prevail.”

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Saying that the danger posed by global warming “could not be more real,” the senator charged that in the U.S. “a calculated campaign of disinformation has steadily beaten back the consensus momentum for action on climate change and replaced it with timidity by proponents in the face of millions of dollars of phony, contrived ‘talking points,’ illogical and wholly unscientific propositions and a general scorn for the truth wrapped in false threats about job loss and taxes.”

“Climate change is one of two or three of the most serious threats our country now faces, if not the most serious, and the silence that has enveloped a once robust debate is staggering for its irresponsibility,” Kerry said.

“All you need to do is look out your window. …For the first time in memory, the Augusta National azaleas bloomed and wilted before the first golfers teed off at this year’s Masters.”

“Frankly, those who look for any excuse to continue challenging the science have a fundamental responsibility that they have never fulfilled: Prove us wrong or stand down,” Kerry added. “…And by the way—good luck in the effort!”

Curiously though, if Kerry has given up his private plane or sold his yacht and mansions to reduce his enormous carbon footprint, there’s no word of this development on Google. To paraphrase Glenn Reynolds just slightly, I might be more willing to consider thinking of global warming as a crisis, when and if the people who tell me it’s a crisis begin to act like it’s one. In the meantime, given that “The Rio + 20 conference has ended quietly, with not much damage done,” John Hinderaker writes today at Power Line, “We can hope that Rio + 20 was the beginning of the end for global warming alarmism.”