Slick Willie to the Rescue?

Earlier this week the U.S. walked out of the meeting in Montreal of the world’s leading nations to discuss climate change and the Kyoto accord.

But on Friday, former President Bill Clinton paid a visit and called the United States’ approach “flat wrong.”

The BBC reports Saturday morning:

After Mr Clinton’s remarks – which were warmly received – the official US team appeared to shift its position…. They appeared ready to accept that new talks should begin on cutting greenhouse gases beyond Kyoto targets – provided they were non-binding.

Not taking Kyoto seriously has turned the U.S. into a model of laughable carelessness to humanity and society in the eyes of the world.

Outgoing Canadian PM Paul Martin infuriated the White House this scathing, albeit rational speech, leading to the walk out:

“To the reticent nations, including the U.S., I’d say this: There is such a thing as a global conscience and now is the time to listen to it.”

Potentially, this could mark the beginning of a return to compassion in American politics. Assuming I wake up and this isn’t all just a dream, tomorrow may be the day that suddenly, there is help for the long-neglected (forgotten)? victims of the gulf coast hurricanes, and – who knows – abolition of the unheard-of-in-modern-democracies death penalty?