At a time when consumer confidence in the US economy is flagging, the deficit is growing, run-away entitlement spending threatens to seriously damage our economy, and it’s really freakin’ cold and snowy outside in Denver, CO, is telling a Denver crowd that we need to stunt the economy to combat global warming a winning strategy?

I would say no. Bill Clinton would say yes. Unless he secretly hates his wife, in which case his evil plan to derail her presidential bid is coming along nicely, thanks.

In a long, and interesting speech, he characterized what the U.S. and other industrialized nations need to do to combat global warming this way: “We just have to slow down our economy and cut back our greenhouse gas emissions ‘cause we have to save the planet for our grandchildren.”

At a time that the nation is worried about a recession is that really the characterization his wife would want him making? “Slow down our economy”?

A charitable view might imagine that he misspoke, but I’m not so sure. Increased economic activity means more energy consumption. Even with breakthroughs in efficiency, energy consumption tends to go up as economies grow and energy consumption tends to go up as populations become more affluent. It’s hard to work job growth, fiscal responsibility, and the American love of comfy living into a strategy of intentionally hobbling the nation’s economy, I would guess. But, then, I’m not an economist, so my ideas might just be old fashioned.

I watched a portion of his speech last night, and I admit that it was fun to watch him smack down a Truther who had disrupted the event--even while advocating a position that I find foolish (immediately ending the war without, apparently, consulting the military, without considering consequences, without even a nod to the idea of victory), he was strong in his defense of common sense and verbally slapped the Truther around a bit when he wouldn’t shut up. The crowd was appreciative and so was I.

None of which changes the fact that Bill must hate his wife to be talking about intentional economic slow-downs during her campaign. And, damnit, I want some global warming to come along and melt the snow and give me warmth. Global warming is a promise that I want our elected officials to keep.

Slackers.

PS - I’m not the only one who thinks Bill might be batting for the other team. Wait, that didn’t sound right, did it?

PPS - Apparently I’m being unfair. He actually made a good point with the not-so-out-of-context bit that you can read at the link. Bill doesn’t hate Hillary.