The other side

[Guest guest]

Here's the other side of the Karl Rove/Laurie David/Sheryl Crow story:

 

" The eyewitness says the person who introduced David to Rove was the

New York Times' Maureen Dowd. I want you to meet Laurie David, Dowd

said to Rove. (These are all approximate recollections, so no

quotation marks.) Dowd said David would like to say hello.

 

According to David and Crow, the encounter began with a polite

request. " We asked Mr. Rove if he would consider taking a fresh look

at the science of global warming, " they write. " Much to our dismay,

he immediately got combative. And it went downhill from there. "

 

The eyewitness remembers it a bit differently. Immediately after

Dowd's introduction, the witness says, David began lecturing Rove

about global warming. This administration has done nothing on the

issue, she told Rove. We face a crisis. The time to act is now.

This administration has done nothing…

 

At that point, Rove broke in to say, Well, actually we have done

something. Rove mentioned global climate research, at which point

David broke in herself to say, You just don't understand. All these

questions have been answered. That's worthless. That's useless.

 

In their account, David and Crow write, " We reminded the senior White

House advisor that the U.S. leads the world in global warming

pollution and we are doing the least about it. Anger flaring, Mr.

Rove immediately regurgitated the official Administration position on

global warming which is that the US spends more on researching the

causes than any other country. "

 

The eyewitness says Rove asked David if she had read the IPCC report,

referring to the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change, which, while confirming a human role in climate change,

substantially undermines some of the most catastrophic charges made

in Al Gore's " An Inconvenient Truth, " which David produced. David

said she had read the report. " We felt compelled to remind him that

the research is done and the results [the IPCC report] are in, " David

and Crow write. " Mr. Rove exploded with even more venom. Like a

spoiled child throwing a tantrum, Mr. Rove launched into a series of

illogical arguments regarding China not doing enough thus neither

should we. (Since when do we follow China's lead?) "

 

In the eyewitness' version, again, David and Crow are a bit more

aggressive than their own story suggests. The eyewitness says David

told Rove, You need to bring in new people to tell you the truth.

Rove mentioned Dr. John Marburger, the White House science advisor.

At that point, according to the eyewitness, Crow began poking Rove's

chest with her finger, demanding to know what corporations were

underwriting Marburger's work. Rove said Marburger had been in

academia most of his career.

 

With Crow jabbing him in the chest, Rove turned to take his seat.

Then, the witness says, Crow grabbed his arm. A few more words were

exchanged, and it was over. At the Huffington Post, David and Crow

described the ending this way: " In his attempt to dismiss us, Mr.

Rove turned to head toward his table, but as soon as he did so,

Sheryl reached out to touch his arm. Karl swung around and

spat, 'Don't touch me.' How hardened and removed from reality must a

person be to refuse to be touched by Sheryl Crow? Unfazed, Sheryl

abruptly responded, 'You can't speak to us like that, you work for

us.' Karl then quipped, 'I don't work for you, I work for the

American people.' To which Sheryl promptly reminded him, 'We are the

American people.' "

 

In light of the eyewitness' account, another way of saying it might

be, How hardened and removed from reality must a person be to refuse

to be jabbed in the chest by Sheryl Crow? "

 

 

Dede