McCain Criticizes Bush Administration Regarding Climate Change Report

I don’t like John McCain, and I never fail to be amused by the media’s willingness to portray him as a moderate. Still, compared to Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) — who yesterday described a UN session on climate change as “brainwashing” — McCain’s willingness to criticize the Bush administration for stonewalling Congress about the reality of global warming is refreshing:

“They’re simply not complying with the law. It’s incredible.”

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) raised eyebrows yesterday with that comment regarding the Bush administration, made before a crowd of several hundred at a Washington, D.C. event.

At issue is a report on climate change that Congress requires every ten years. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is responsible for producing the document, last filed a report in 2000. A new report — the first to be filed by the Bush administration — was due in November 2004, but to date the agency has not done so.

“When you get to that degree of obfuscation, then you get a little depressed,” McCain said, according to several attendees. McCain’s comments were also reported by the trade daily Environment and Energy.

McCain has rapped the administration before over the long-overdue report.