In a stunningly underwhelming bit of news Bush, it seems, wants to green wash his legacy a bit by pretending to care about global warming. In a strange case of reality imitating art Bush announced in the rose garden today that he would be working on regulating co2 emissions by the end of 2008.

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA must take action under the Clean Air Act regarding greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. So today, I’m directing the EPA and the Department of Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture to take the first steps toward regulations that would cut gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles, using my 20-in-10 plan as a starting point.

Bush implies that he wouldn’t be doing anything about this problem if not ordered by the court, he then moves on to the backpedal. Its a subtle double speak (by Bush standards) but double speak none the less.

For one the 20-in-10 plan is pretty damn weak, reduce gas use by 20% in 10 years. You could reduce gasoline use by 10% a year if you just made it illegal to buy gas cars and instead replaced them with diesel. That still won’t do anything about global warming. You might think I am reaching, but like his mission to mars, and every other silly thing he proposed in this state of the union speeches, its all about the big flashy announcement. These plans never come with details. Or worse if they do come with details they are always full of exciting loopholes and tax cuts for oil companies. They never seem to be what the country really needs, a leader with a vision and a plan.

What follows is the full speech with commentary, enjoy. Want to skip all that and watch the video, click here. (video link in upper right)

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