June 2, 2007 5:33 AM

Legacy Politics

Regarding the President's about-face on climate change, this paragraph from The New York Times struck me:

The White House seems determined to alter the president’s image on climate change before he leaves office in January 2009. The issue is a high priority for two of Mr. Bush’s closest European allies — Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany — and with Democrats now controlling Congress, the president also faces domestic pressure to act.

Does the President feel the tide turning? Does he really care about "domestic pressure" -- he certainly doesn't mind it on Iraq. But perhaps with Blair leaving office in England, Bush is getting a look at how a nation judges a leader whose grand ambitions were undermined by the Iraq fiasco.

And maybe that makes him nervous for his legacy. Getting him legacy-conscious could be the best thing for all of us.

There is still a wide gap between talk and action: on climate change, stopping the Darfur genocide or reforming immigration in a way that does not criminalize 10-12 million people living in the US. But it is interesting that Bush is picking moments to change his tone.

Unfortunately, he doesn't realize -- as Blair didn't either -- that the Iraq quagmire is still going to trump everything else he tries to accomplish in office, until we find a way to end the Occupation.