Guest commentary by David Middleton

From the “So What?” files and the Huffington Post…

POLITICS
03/13/2018

Trump’s Pick To Replace Former Exxon CEO As Secretary Of State Is A Bigger Climate Denier

Mike Pompeo, who was tapped to replace Rex Tillerson, could be the first secretary of state to reject climate science outright. Climate deniers have high hopes for him.

By Alexander C. Kaufman

Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump’s pick to replace sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, threatens to bring a hard-line brand of climate change denialism to Foggy Bottom for the first time.

The current CIA director, named early Tuesday as the nominee to be the nation’s top diplomat, has long rejected the widely-accepted science behind man-made global warming, dashing hopes that the United States might reverse its decision to leave from the Paris climate accord before November 2020, when the deal allows the country to formally withdraw.

[…]

“It’s good news for us,” said Myron Ebell, a leading proponent of climate change denial and a director at the right wing Competitive Enterprise Institute. “I expect very good things from him at the State Department.”

Ebell, who led Trump’s transition at the Environmental Protection Agency, said he hopes Pompeo will convince the president to withdraw the U.S. from the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, completely ending all U.S. participation in climate talks.

In January 2017, Pompeo skirted questions about his view on climate science during his Senate confirmation hearing to become CIA director.

“Frankly, as the director of CIA, I would prefer today not to get into the details of the climate debate and science,” he said. “It seems  —  my role is going to be so different and unique from that.”

[…]

“For President Obama to suggest that climate change is a bigger threat to the world than terrorism is ignorant, dangerous, and absolutely unbelievable,” he said at the time.

[…]

In December 2013, Pompeo rejected the consensus among 97 percent of peer-reviewed climate researchers that the planet is warming and burning fossil fuels, industrial farms and deforestation are the main causes.

[…]

“Donald Trump has now somehow picked someone even worse than Rex Tillerson to run the State Department,” Naomi Ages, Greenpeace USA’s climate director, said in a statement. “In addition to being a climate denier, like his predecessor, Pompeo is Koch brothers’ shill who will denigrate the United States’ reputation abroad and make us vulnerable to threats at home.”

HuffPost

There’s so much material here, I don’t know where to start (intentional sarcasm).

I’ll go out on a limb and state that neither Rex Tillerson nor Mike Pompeo have ever denied the climate.  I don’t even think that’s grammatically possible.

Last I checked, the State Department wasn’t a science agency… So WTF does this have to do with diplomatic matters?

Mike Pompeo…threatens to bring a hard-line brand of climate change denialism to Foggy Bottom for the first time.

So what?

If Pompeo threatened to bring a surrender monkey attitude to Foggy Bottom, there would be reason for concern… Nor would it be the first time a Secretary of State brought a surrender monkey attitude to Foggy Bottom.  Tillerson’s predecessor brought both a surrender monkey attitude and a mind boggling level of scientific illiteracy to Foggy Bottom.

This was one of the most lucid answers to a stupid question in the history of cabinet nomination hearings:

“Frankly, as the director of CIA, I would prefer today not to get into the details of the climate debate and science,” he said. “It seems  —  my role is going to be so different and unique from that.”

Views on climate change are wholly irrelevant to the constitutional duties of the CIA Director, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State or any other cabinet secretary apart from the EPA Administrator, where it’s only tangentially relevant.  Their views on climate change are even less relevant than their views on transgenderism or the holistic healing powers of magic crystals.

More lucidity from the next Secretary of State:

“For President Obama to suggest that climate change is a bigger threat to the world than terrorism is ignorant, dangerous, and absolutely unbelievable,” he said at the time.

Carly Fiorina aptly described Obama’s demented notion as delusional.

Speaking of delusional…

In December 2013, Pompeo rejected the consensus among 97 percent of peer-reviewed climate researchers that the planet is warming and burning fossil fuels, industrial farms and deforestation are the main causes.

WTF is a “peer-reviewed climate researcher”?  Maybe he’s referring to the 97% consensus cooked up by the SkepSciGuys.

Did I mention delusional?

Naomi Ages, Greenpeace USA’s climate director, said in a statement. “In addition to being a climate denier, like his predecessor, Pompeo is Koch brothers’ shill who will denigrate the United States’ reputation abroad and make us vulnerable to threats at home.”

More vulnerable to what threats? How on Earth does American energy dominance and winning make us “vulnerable to threats at home”?

Furthermore, the Koch brothers are not even fans of President Trump.

While I thought Rex Tillerson was doing a good job, Mike Pompeo is a definite upgrade… as evidenced by the delusional rants from the Eco-looney Tunes crowd.

As usual, any and all sarcasm was strictly intentional.  I typed this on my phone, so I’m sure there are some typos… So, in advance: