Todd Gitlin brings us this quote from Frank Barnes’ Rebel-in-Chief: Inside the Bold and Controversial Presidency of George W. Bush:

Though he didn’t say so publicly, Bush is a dissenter on the theory of global warming….He avidly read Michael Crichton’s 2004 novel State of Fear, whose villain falsifies scientific studies to justify draconian steps to curb global warming….Early in 2005, political adviser Karl Rove arranged for Crichton to meet with Bush at the White House. They talked for an hour and were in near-total agreement. The visit was not made public for fear of outraging environmentalists all the more.

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Sigh.

My review of Crichton’s book is here.

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