CBS Highlights Clinton Attacks on Bush Opposition to Kyoto

On Friday night's CBS Evening News, substitute anchor Russ Mitchell read a short item relaying Bill Clinton's criticism of President Bush, with Clinton calling him "flat wrong" for opposing the Kyoto treaty in a speech at the UN conference on climate change in Montreal. In contrast to FNC, Mitchell did not add perspective to Clinton's attack by noting the Senate's history of strong opposition to the Kyoto treaty, and of Clinton's own failure to submit the treaty to the Senate out of fear of its rejection.

As recounted by Jim Angle during Friday night's "Grapevine" segment on FNC's Special Report with Brit Hume, in July of 1997, "the Senate voted 95-0 against even considering the treaty and warned President Clinton not to even send it up to them, saying the United States shouldn't sign anything that would, quote, 'result in serious harm to the economy of the United States.'" Angle added, "As a result, President Clinton never submitted the Kyoto treaty for ratification." Below is a complete transcript of Mitchell's story on the Clinton speech from the CBS Evening News, followed by Angle's version of the story from Special Report with Brit Hume, both from Friday December 9:

CBS's Russ Mitchell: "At the close of a UN conference on climate change in Montreal today, Bill Clinton blasted President Bush's position on global warming. Mr. Clinton said Mr. Bush is, quote, 'flat wrong,' for rejecting the Kyoto accord, the treaty aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, and for arguing the treaty would harm the U.S. economy."

FNC's Jim Angle: "And now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine. Bill Clinton says President Bush is 'flat wrong' to reject the Kyoto treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on economic grounds. Telling an audience at the UN's climate conference in Montreal, 'We could meet and surpass the Kyoto targets in a way that would strengthen and not weaken our economies.' Clinton and then Vice President Al Gore were instrumental in the formulation of the original Kyoto treaty in 1997, which would have required a 29 percent cut in emissions from the U.S. from 1990 levels by 2012. President Bush has come under fire from environmentalists for formally renouncing the agreement, but in 1997 the Senate voted 95-0 against even considering the treaty and warned President Clinton not to even send it up to them, saying the United States shouldn't sign anything that would, quote, 'result in serious harm to the economy of the United States.' As a result, President Clinton never submitted the Kyoto treaty for ratification."