Earth Day Explained

Today is Earth Day.  To explain things a bit better ABC News has an interview with the associate communications director of the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund, asking him 10 questions.  The interview was edited.

But not enough.

Below is another edit of the edited interview that will help to better explain what this thing is really all about..

ABC News: Lots of people say environmentalists are left wing. Do you consider yourself a liberal?

Deans: Absolutely not. I'm a classic independent. I was a newspaper reporter for nearly 30 years, most of that time with the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Like Bill O'Reilly!

ABC News: In your new book, "Reckless," you accuse Republicans of committing an "assault" on the environment. Is there not a single Republican you like?

Deans: Dave Reichert (Washington) pretty consistently votes for a healthy future. Roscoe Bartlett (Maryland) is pretty strong on energy issues. Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tennessee) has been pretty good on clean air. Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio) has been good on efficiency.

So four.  Did they ask him which Democrats he didn't like?  If so it was edited out.

ABC News: Have environmental issues sunk into the background because of the bad economy?

Deans: We have 3.1 million Americans working in what they call the green jobs sector. That has been a bright light in a very dark economy.

He probably doesn't realize he just called Obama's economy 'very dark'.

ABC News: There are lots of people who doubt that global warming is caused by people. Do you think that the science behind it might not be perfect?

Deans:  When I go to see my doctor and he tells me I'm looking good, I'm not 100 percent sure he's right. But I will say this: There's no question that our climate is changing.

And in other news, the earth is rotating and revolving around the sun.

ABC News: Does President Obama have a rocky relationship with the environmental community? We've all heard about Solyndra, and the Keystone pipeline, and the forgotten solar panels on the roof of the White House. ...

Deans: I think President Obama has been extremely strong on environmental issues

As a classic independent, of course.

ABC News: Finally, tell us your favorite joke about environmentalists.

Deans:  They said, 'Oh, yeah, well, we had the bear here for you to shoot,' so Teddy Roosevelt refused to shoot the bear, of course.   I was down there right around the same time that Vice President Dick Cheney had gone shooting for birds down in Texas, so some of us couldn't help but think it was a good thing Dick Cheney didn't go down to the Mississippi Delta, because he would have shot the bear, and he would have shot the aide, too. That's not really very funny. I probably shouldn't have said it.

Oh those wild and crazy classic independents, always cracking GOP jokes.

Again, edited for clarity.  You're welcome.