Jason Burnett, Bush Official Who Just Resigned, To Aid Obama

Until last month, Jason Burnett was a high-ranking political appointee at the Environmental Protection Agency. But "after concluding there was no more progress to be made on greenhouse gases under the Bush administration," he resigned.

The AP reported recently:

[Burnett] helped developed the EPA's response to last year's Supreme Court ruling that the agency had the authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

But work on the issue was put on hold in December after Congress passed legislation enacting tougher automobile mileage requirements. Johnson has acknowledged that the next administration probably will have to decide whether carbon dioxide endangers public health as a greenhouse gas. The EPA is expected soon to issue a draft finding for public comment.

"I think that most people who have studied the Clean Air Act recognize the challenges posed by the Supreme Court case, but the nation is best served by confronting those challenges, not trying to delay the inevitable," Burnett said in an interview.

Now Burnett is trying a new path to reducing the threat of global warming: aiding Barack Obama.

After submitting his resignation last month, he donated $3,600 to Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign. That came on top of a $1,000 contribution he made to Obama before rejoining the EPA last year.

A Stanford-trained economist and a Democrat, Burnett, 31, said in an interview that he was moving back to Northern California to campaign for Obama and Rep. Sam Farr (D-Carmel).

He said he was counting on them to support stepped-up efforts to curb greenhouse gases.

"Climate change endangers health and welfare," Burnett said. "The EPA is required to use existing law to reduce greenhouse gases. The sooner we begin addressing it in earnest, the better off we'll be."

Comments

[riley85]

This will certainly help Obama as he moves to the right. Burnett can help Obama perfect his next flip-flops. Obama continues to fool some of the people all of the time.

McCain08

[Ferdberfle]

Hopefully, he will enlist the services of a scientist or two, as well.

[ChiGuy]

Wow. Someone that spent time in the Boosh administration and came away seemingly uncorrupted.

Call Guinness.

[ggmome]

Know what? Obama, I am taking a back seat to your Clinton involvements! WHERE'S THE CHANGE?

[bosshogg]

it must really suck to be a repub because you have a repub senator with obama in his commercial , sen. taking the "r" from ballots,powell and hagel probable gonna endorse obama,losing 3 special elections in repubs district..... we may have some issues with obama but it doesn't compare to mismanaged the repubs are doing....

[kay]

Conservatives were wrong on global warming.

In 20 years, that will be the consensus.

It's a big issue to get wrong.

[Boadicea]

Kay, you always find the salient point.

Of all the things the first Republican administration of the 21st century got wrong, and there havve been too many to count, their idiocy on global warming will be the most tragic and the most remembered.

Shame on the Republican Party, my former party. Shame on them.

[kay]

There was something powerful holding them back. I suspect it was energy industry lobbyist influence.

I remember when I read that re-insurers were using global warming models to predict risk for property insurance rates. It was 2005.

When you're years behind those radical Leftists in the insurance industry....... :)

[ChristianEcon.com]

Even more fascinating is how easy its been to get them to be so rabidly opinionated about it.

[kay]

They kept using acid rain as an example of an environmental crisis that didn't occur.

But that's just wrong. We effectively addressed acid rain. We brought Canada in.

We actually solved a problem. Acid rain wasn't a false scare. It was real. We fixed the problem.

[4wehttam]

"............rabidly opinionated....."

Yeah like Tom Delay. I heard him go off about global warming like we were talking about murder or something. He's a disgusting piece of you know what because everything that comes out of his mouth is arrogant, selfish, demeaning to others and mostly all fabricated.

[lisakaz2]

It's not surprising, given that to cure a global problem you need collective consensus and business responsibility. The GOPers HATE government to show such leadership (too big for 'em; smells like socialism and every other bogeyman to 'em) and esp. to demand responsible practices from businesses.

[Davwbaird]

Bush was and is wrong, this weather change issue, means his name will become unmentionable and all traces of him and his name will be removed from human history. Think of that! We here and now, can not conceived of how awful, at this point in human history, this bush administration was.

[kellygrrrl]

let's hope the Planet sustains life in 20 years

[Independentjunkie]

Obama Now = Bush Lite

yes on FISA
yes on IRaq
yes on guns
yes on taxpayer money for religion in the white house

SO now bush team members are yes on Obama.

[neesy08]

you know your party is in trouble when its members start supporting the opposing team and writing books that expose what the world already knew.

and it shows how obama is reaching out to the other side, for those who are claiming he does no such thing (even despite the evidence)

[geobushono]

or he might be angling for a lighter sentence if the Trials actually materialize.

[Ged2012]

Makes a lot of sense. Bush in 2000 said that there was not enough evidence to prove global warming. I can't believe that many Americans who are obviously a lot more intelligent than Bush VOTED for him.

[swift goat pet for truth]

Lots of Intelligence.

No brains.

[kay]

Conservatives flip flopped on global warming because environmentalism polls well.

Better than 70%.

I don't think they're sincere. It's just hot air :)

[4wehttam]

Which is why McBush jumped all over that bandwagon.

[benedict15]

Hot air is the cause of global warming.

[Darsan54]

Government isn't the problem: government run by Republicans is the problem.

[FilthyPerson]

This is what can happen when you allow a nutball lefty into an administration or hold them over from a nutball lefty administration.

[crusty]

Well, actually, it's what can happen when the administration is run by nutball righties.

[timetorevolt]

Speaking of nutball..Look it up in Webster.. Picture of W..

[walsenberg]

you did mean this as a joke, right? omg

[swift goat pet for truth]

Nutball lefty?

Ah, yes.
Housing crisis. Record repos.
Credit Crisis.
$140 oil, $4 gas
Record bankruptcies.
National debt increased 50% to $9 tril.
Dollar devalued.
Half a $tril trade imbalance each year.

Thank god the nutball lefties weren't in charge.

[Boadicea]

You forgot the deficit.

[kellygrrrl]

I will say this: FilthyPerson, you always make me laugh

[mcole]

welcome!

[Midnightrain]

Sounds like Stanford needs to step up its game. They might be able to churn out brilliant economists - but they've got some work to do in the area of common sense building.

[Davwbaird]

They spawn Condi on the world.

[Janet Carter]

It takes some of us (FORMER Republicans) a while to see the light and come to our senses. Only took me 30 years but I'm slow (ha).

Welcome aboard Jason Burnett -- It's soooooo much nicer on this side !

[Boadicea]

It's definitely easier on the conscience to be on this side.

I no longer have to pretend that my personal greed and selfishness are the only things that motivate me.

On the Democratic side, it's ok to care about the poverty in this country, to want more balance in CEO salaries vs worker wages, to demand some action on the looming environmental crisis, to consider the billions of dollars being spent on the occupation of a sovereign foreign nation to be better spent on health care for Americans.

The Republican Party used to have caring people in it. No more. They've left, or gone underground.

[Gma11]

Good for you, Janet!!

[kellygrrrl]

We welcome you Janet with open arms, open hearts and open minds

{{{{{hug}}}}}

[Janet Carter]

Thank you, sweetey. And hugs back ! I just thank God I didn't die from drinking all of that Limbaugh/Hannity/O'Reilly/Coulter, etc. kool-aid all those years. How could I have been so stupid and blind for SO LONG ?
(I really enjoy all of your posts kellygrrrl - thanks)!

[venicesurfer]

so former bush aides can aid obama but they cant aid mccain without huffpost back lash?

[kay]

He left because conservatives had made no progress on addressing the problem.

Not surprising, actually. They refused to admit it existed until late 2006.

It's interesting, because people who work outdoors know there's something weather-related going on. Farmers, etc.

Perhaps conservatives should get out more.

[SanityClaus]

Enjoy being coated with oil tar when you surf around drilling rigs.

[happypup]

Thanks, Jason Burnett. I hope you are on the level.