It may be akin to a Protestant celebrating Chanukah, but President Bush is observing Earth Day today, with a speech in New York state’s Adirondack Mountains. (The forecast was for snow — acid snow, mind you — perhaps a fitting backdrop.) The president is using the occasion to promote his “Clear Skies” initiative, a market-based alternative to the current framework of the Clean Air Act. Critics argue that the Clear Skies initiative would make air quality worse. Meanwhile, Bush’s once (and future?) rival, former Vice President Al Gore, is celebrating Earth Day in Nashville, Tenn., with a speech blasting the president’s environmental policies. Gore also attacked Bush’s enviro record in a New York Times op-ed yesterday. Although Gore has not indicated whether he will run against Bush again, many see the environment as a crucial wedge issue between Democrats and Republicans in the 2004 presidential elections.
