President Bush going green while the Democrats are warming up to take over the Senate. That's the subject of this evening's Talking Points memo.
The president was down in Florida in the Everglades touting a conservation program, trying to get the anti-environmental label off his forehead. Democrats have been successful in portraying Mr. Bush as a cold-hearted polluter. First, he was trying to kill us by insisting that arsenic be a part of our drinking water -- boy, that was scary. And then last week The New York Times called his energy policy "drill and burn." Wow! I hope Mr. Bush doesn't come near my house.
Demonizing Mr. Bush on the environment is the latest sport in America and up until this point it's been really easy to do that. Of course, the president could mock his critics like I just did or explain his decisions on the environment directly to the people. This would put his environmental problem to bed, assuming he has logic on his side. I still don't understand the arsenic deal and I'd like to.
Mr. Bush and the Republicans have one very big thing going for them. The Democrats and the Greens have few solutions to complicated problems. The New York Times has no clue about how to solve the California energy shortage or rising gas prices. The Democrats also have no solutions to the public education mess, the earnings recession or where to find the energy we will need in the next 20 years.
Over and over and over I have asked Mr. Bush's critics for specific alternative solutions to these problems. Don't want to drill in the Arctic. Fine. Where do we drill? It's simply bad and dangerous policy to continue to depend on OPEC.
The Democrats continue to insist that big government spending is the answer to the educational problems and to most other things. The Clinton administration spent big time. The results are disastrous.
So the Dems and the Greens don't really have many bullets in their chambers, which is why President Bush should be far more aggressive in explaining his domestic policies. Remember, we are now a sound bite nation. The first and most simplistic slogan often wins. Mr. Bush can sloganeer with the best of them. If he wants to maintain the illusion of effectiveness and control, he has to start putting his mouth where his policies are.
And that's the memo.
Most Ridiculous Item of the Day
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in Arizona has been called in to the Sun City West Senior Citizens Community to quell some of the residents having an active love life in public.
The quote is, "We have many beautiful settings, and I'm sure it's people who have been in love a long a time, getting a little carried away. We just wish they'd show a little bit more decorum" out in Sun City West.
Hey. It could be ridiculous, but then again, you know, you got to admire that spunk.
— You can watch Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points weeknights at 8 p.m. ET. And send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
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