Four Republican treaty opponents in the Senate, led by Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, have written Bush, asking him to clarify his position. Hagel also met with Richard Armitage, Colin Powell's deputy at the State Department, to urge that the Bush administration not yield on global warming. And he appears to mean it. But I think it's fairly clear at this point that the president has made a commitment on the issue. Down on the farm.
Many observers believe the key influence has been business.
Kenneth Lay, a close Bush friend and major campaign contributor, has been in the vanguard of businesses active on global warming. Another key business is agriculture. No-till farming and the planting of buffer areas of grass and trees could mitigate global warming because plants and soil draw carbon from the atmosphere. GOP Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas wants federal subsidies for such practices. There's a relatively simple way for that to happen.