1. CAMPAIGN 2008: Obama's strong warming platform drawing scrutiny (Greenwire, 05/29/2008)

Darren Samuelsohn, Greenwire senior reporter

Sen. Barack Obama took a hard-line stance when he rolled out his global warming platform during the run-up to the Democratic presidential primaries last October.

Visiting Portsmouth, N.H., the Illinois lawmaker called for an 80 percent reduction in U.S. emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases by midcentury, with equally tough targets for the interim. He also promised to distribute all emission credits via auction, an approach that estimates say could raise trillions in new revenue, sprinkled across a range of federal programs.

Environmentalists praised Obama for staking out such a tough position. But others rolled their eyes. Obama was banking on his straightforward approach helping him win the nomination in a crowded Democratic field.

"Now, I know some of these policies are difficult politically," Obama said last fall in New Hampshire. "They aren't easy. But being president of the United States isn't about doing what's easy. It's about doing what's hard. It's about doing what's right. Leadership isn't about telling people what they want to hear. It's about telling them what they need to hear."

Today, Obama is close to clinching the Democratic nomination -- and his campaign positions are drawing more intense scrutiny. Many are questioning whether Obama can keep his promises.

"He kind of outbids a lot," said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a strong supporter of the presumptive Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona. "That seems to be a tactic of his, particularly in the primary, to get as far left as he can and work his way back to the middle."

In an interview, Graham expressed doubts that Obama would fulfill his climate pledges given the broader political dynamics. "This idea of cap and trade, the targets you set, and the ability to meet those targets and the time periods, mean a great deal to the economy," he said. "They can't be done in a reckless manner."

Conservatives are also mocking Obama for saying he would consult regularly on climate issues with former Vice President Al Gore. "That's a very bad sign if you're looking for clues as to how Obama would approach this," said Samuel Thernstrom of the American Enterprise Institute.

For his part, Obama has not provided specifics since he addressed global warming in New Hampshire. But he featured the issue prominently in a advertisement aired during the Super Bowl broadcast and has on occasion dropped Gore's name. Gore, a Nobel Prize Peace Prize winner for his work on warming issues, has become more popular among Democrats since his unsuccessful bid for the White House in 2000.

Environmentalists praise Obama for his bold stance on climate. The scientific warnings about climate change causing rising seas and increased rates of drought and floods have gotten louder -- and the Democratic candidate's ideas are roughly in line with emission cuts favored by leading scientists.

And lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are starting to react, too.

Next week, the Senate begins debate on a climate bill that would set mandatory limits on U.S. emissions -- the first time legislation has reached the floor through regular order. Even McCain is trying to court independent voters with a less aggressive climate change platform that includes a midcentury emission limit of about 60 percent.

"That shows how far the debate has moved," said Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), a supporter of Obama's Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. "It's the discussion of 80 percent versus 60 percent versus zero."

Early tests

When it comes to emission limits, Obama's climate campaign position puts him ahead of the Senate bill. If he comes to the Senate for the debate, his votes will be closely scrutinized.

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004 and an Obama backer this year, said the Illinois senator should have no problem voting for a bill that is not as strong as what he would offer as president. "He just says, 'Look, this isn't the bill that I would write, but it certainly starts the ball rolling, and when I'm president I'll pick it up and move it on,'" Kerry said in an interview.

Obama's Senate office has signaled it would do just that. "Although Senator Obama is committed to a more aggressive approach to tackling this problem, he believes the Lieberman-Warner bill is an important first step and looks forward to working with them as their bill moves through Congress," an Obama spokesman said last month.

But there still may be tough decisions for Obama.

Some Senate watchers suggest Obama would offer his emission limits as an amendment to the climate bill -- if only to use the floor debate as a stage for his own campaign. Republicans also could challenge Obama by introducing his ideas as their own, a trick move that could force moderate and conservative Democrats to take sides in a debate involving their party's potential presidential nominee.

Obama's allies say they are not worried.

Bob Baugh, director of the AFL-CIO's industrial union council, explained that Obama does not stand that far apart from the Senate climate bill when it comes to how many credits should be auctioned away compared with how many should be given away for free.

"Those aren't a heck of a lot different than what's being proposed," Baugh said of the Obama climate plan.

From all sides of the climate debate, no one disputes that compromises will be needed to get a final deal signed into law. Democrats and Republicans needed to do just that to get the Senate climate legislation where it stands now.

"Clearly, as president, you're going to have to compromise to some degree in order to bring some people on board, to have a passable majority, and I think he understands that," Kerry said. "I think we all understand that."

Many Democratic activists are excited about the prospect of a White House proposal on the issue next year. Even if Obama's ideas are perceived as too aggressive, he could still prosper on the issue by using the same skills that have put him just one big step away from the presidency.

"Obama has a certain quality that may be very useful, to frame in strong and eloquent and persuasive language an important vision," said Joseph Romm, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. "I think that ability could be as important as anything. I wouldn't discount it."

Click here to read and see video of Obama's climate speech in Portsmouth, N.H.

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