Kyoto Comeback

The idea that Tony Blair expects to trade British participation in Iraq for U.S. support of tough new global emissions standards -- first floated back in September -- gets some expert support. The Cato Institute's Patrick Michaels identifies three elements in the current Senate energy bill that, if enacted, would go a long way towards implementing the rejected and "dead" Kyoto Protocol on global warming.

The most obvious pay-off to Blair would be Bush administration support of a new, permanent Office of Climate Policy in the White House. Michaels says Bush support for that would be a sure sign that the Kyoto fix is in.