Sen. Inhofe Praises Fox News, Slams CNN Over Global Warming

September 30th, 2006 7:58 PM

This one is pretty funny, sports fans. Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) went on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends” Saturday to discuss his recent statement regarding global warming and the press. Along the way, he complimented Fox News for being “really the exception” to all the hype by the media concerning this issue. He also bashed CNN for making “8 different [false] accusations or statements about” him.

For those that are interested, the video is here, and a rough transcript follows.

HOST: Our next guest says that the American people are not really getting the truth about global warming due to the mainstream media's "environmental bias." Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe joins us this morning. He's the Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. Thanks for being with us, Senator.

MR. INHOFE: Well, nice being with you guys.

HOST: You recently did give a speech about this. Tell us where you stand. Do you think that global warming exists?

MR. INHOFE: Yeah, well, first of all, the earth's temperature is warming right now but, I believe, from natural causes. The hype in the media is just -- you guys, you're just really the exception -- but the speech I made, the eighth speech I made on this subject on the floor on Monday concentrated on just the media and how they're distorting this thing. You have got to keep in mind, you guys, how back in the turn of the century, starting about 1900, back then they said, "well, we got a cooling period that's coming up, an ice age. We're all going to die." Then they went into the 1930's and they said, "it's global warming." Then they went into the 1950 and they said it's... So, it's always been hysteria and now we look at it and see that the preponderance of the scientific evidence, since 1999, has actually, has refuted many of the things that they are saying right now in terms of human or anthropogenic gases causing global warming.

HOST: What was the situation that happened... or one of our rival networks, CNN, made some comments and tried to rebut a few of the things that you said in that speech. You feel that some of what was said was not accurate. Explain that.

MR. INHOFE: Oh, it wasn't accurate at all. They said, they were talking about... they named a whole lot of different things. About 8 different accusations or statements about me. They were all 8 in error. They said such things as, that we had received money from the oil and gas industry. And they completely forget about the fact that other members are taking it. The largest contributor to these campaigns is really the far left environmentalist. It's all a matter of record. Then they talk about hurricanes being related to... and the polar bear population... we have all the documentation that this just isn't true. In fact, let me just tell you some of these, it's very significant. There are 60 scientists in Canada that had been recommending to Prime Minister Harper that they get off of the Kyoto Protocol because of the economic destruction in their country. They said that, "If we had known in the middle 90's about what we know today about the science, we would never have gotten on to the Kyoto Protocol."

HOST: And the thing that is difficult is that a lot of people signed on to it but aren't following it either. So, there is a big debate about that. Let me ask you this. Are we as a country, as a nation, doing better trying to see, you know, what we do could adversely effect the planet or are we moving in the right direction when it come to making sure that we aren't unnecessarily destroying the planet.

MR. INHOFE: Yeah, well, we really are. This president, president Bush, has an initiative that far exceeds what anyone else has done. It would be a mandated 70% reduction in socs(sic), noc(sic), mercury, things that are pollutants. Keep in mind, and CO2 is not a pollutant. So, we are doing it. So, we are doing it. It's a success story since the Clean Air Act of 1970. And in spite of the fact that we have twice as many cars, twice as many in the population, our air is much cleaner. It is a success story. And those who don't want it to be told are the one who are saying, "Ah, we have global warming." This is something that people, you know, politicians are afraid to talk about. Just because of the huge amounts of money that the far-left environmentalists pour into campaigns.

(Above transcribed by Raw Story.)