perfidy

Gregg Easterbrook is having one of his rare moments of supreme lucidity not related to football. At the New Republic's Easterblogg, Easterbrook writes

The latest example of the media standing on its head regarding George W. Bush's environmental policies is the treatment accorded the White House announcement, last week, that Bush would impose a substantial reduction in emissions from Midwestern power plants. Did you even know this happened? Of course not, because news organizations either buried the story or twisted it to make it sound negative.

Here's the picture. Front-page treatment after front-page treatment has been accorded Bush's decision to relax the "new-source review" standard that mainly governs repairs at Midwestern power plants. Bush's NSR decision has been depicted--by beat reporters, Democratic presidential candidates, The New York Times editorial page and Eliot Spitzer, among others--as an astonishing, super-ultra horror, though total emissions from Midwest power plants have declined by 40 percent in the last two decades, and though the worst-case reading of the Bush NSR standard is that it will slow the rate of future declines.

Next, Bush has been widely ridiculed for proposing a "Clear Skies" bill that would require power plants to cut emissions, except greenhouse gas, by about 70 percent. Democrats in the Senate, plus quasi-Democrat James Jeffords, have fought Clear Skies with blazing fury, while editorial cartoonists have scoffed. Why are Democrats opposed to a 70 percent reduction in pollution? Because passage of the bill would give Bush an environmental victory before the 2004 election; Bush-bashing, not air quality, is the essence of the issue. Besides, Democrats know that all forms of air pollution except greenhouse gas are already declining anyway, so the harm done by power plants just isn't that great--though for posturing purposes, Democrats and enviros pretend it is a super-ultra-mega calamity.

Interesting. Anyway, go read the whole thing. Easterbrook is justifiably teed off at media sources who won't cut the President a break, even when he's doing the right thing. I need to look into this further before I decide just what pot is calling what kettle what color here, but between the non-coverage of the antiterrorism riots in Iraq earlier this week, this thing, and the endless and sickening promos for "The Simple Life" at all hours, I'm tempted to give up on TV and get all my news by divining tea leaves and chicken innards.