Technology Review backs up the president

Now, you recall my recent praise of George Bush, as he proclaimed the truth of anthropogenic climate change and announced solid steps toward addressing it. We always think of Bush as an Andover/Yale/HBS man -- highly connected, wealthy, believing most of humanity was a backdrop for the theater of the rich -- so it was surprising to see MIT's Technology Review echo him on the cover.

Special Report: It's Not Too Late. The energy technologies that might forestall global warming might already exist. Cleaner coal, smarter nuclear, bioengineered ethanol, and more... Page 37

Well, of course I turned to page 37, to read

Unfortunately, implementation of cleaner technologies has been thwarted by federal aimlessness. The Energy Department keeps changing its nuclear-research strategy, and a "FutureGen" zero-emission coal demonstration project announced three and a half years ago by President Bush hasn't yet picked a site.

At least one alternative energy technology is also coming into its own. Ethanol production from biomass is already a booming business in Brazil; with help from bioengineered organisms, it could soon be efficient enough to compete directly with traditional energy sources.

So, OK. Once again, Bush's mouth is in the right place, but there's no implementation. I don't know why I listen. I'm still waiting for the prison reforms he promised in the 2004 state of the union address.