Environmental Illusions

"Are Mr Bush's policies really so poisonous, and those of Mr Kerry so contrastingly fragrant? Not quite, for the reasons explained below...Typically, American voters regard the physical state of the planet as a pleasant but not crucial thing to worry about. They are vaguely in favour of green credentials, yet rarely use them to select a candidate. Indeed, greenery may even be a liability, since it can expose a candidate to the charge that he prefers welfare for lazy pandas over jobs for hard-working Americans...How did this nerdiest of subjects get near the top of the political agenda? "