Nobel Prize Economists Say Biden Better For The Economy

 

This is a public letter from 13 economists -- all of them winners of the Nobel Prize for economics. They agree that Joe Biden's policies would be better for the economy than Donald Trump's. 

More Proof Of Donald Trump's Rampant Narcissism

(The caricature of Donald Trump is by DonkeyHotey.)

The overriding characteristic of Donald Trump's personality is his narcissism. That determines every aspect of his presidency in both domestic and foreign policy. If he thinks an action or a lie will make him look good, then that is what he will do -- regardless of whether it is good for the country or not.

A couple of days ago, he was again bragging that he had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He said the Japanese prime minister had nominated him for his meeting with Kim Jong-Un of North Korea (even though that meeting accomplished nothing other than to increase Kim Jong-Un's standing on the world stage).

But there's another part to that story that Trump won't tell. It now comes out that the Japanese prime minister only nominated Trump because the U.S. government (i.e., the Trump administration) asked him to do that. I don't know if the request came from Trump, or from someone in his administration trying to earn brownie points with him -- but either way it points to Trump's abnormal level of narcissism.

Here's how Reuters reported the story:

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize last autumn after receiving a request from the U.S. government to do so, the Asahi newspaper reported on Sunday. 

The report follows Trump’s claim on Friday that Abe had nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize for opening talks and easing tensions with North Korea.

The Japanese leader had given him “the most beautiful copy” of a five-page nomination letter, Trump said at a White House news conference. 

The U.S. government had sounded Abe out over the Noble Peace Prize nomination after Trump’s summit in June last year with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the first meeting between a North Korean leader and a sitting U.S. president, the Asahi said, citing an unnamed Japanese government source.

A spokesman for Japan’s Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said the ministry was aware of Trump’s remarks, but “would refrain from commenting on the interaction between the two leaders.” 

The White House had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters. 

The Nobel Foundation’s website says a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize may be submitted by any person who meets the nomination criteria, which includes current heads of states. Under the foundation’s rules, names and other information about unsuccessful nominations cannot be disclosed for 50 years.

Public Resoundingly Says NO To A Nobel Prize For Trump

I thought it was a joke when I first heard it, but some Republicans in the 115th Congress are actually trying to nominate Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. I don't know what they are thinking, but Trump hasn't done anything that would warrant giving him the Nobel Prize. And the American public agrees with me.

Only 24% of registered voters want Trump to be awarded a Nobel Prize, while 61% say that should not happen. That's a negative gap of 37 points. And that view is shared by both genders, all age groups, all race/ethnicities, all types of communities, all regions of the country, and most political groups.

Only one political group thinks he should get the Nobel Prize -- Republicans by 50% to 32%. That just exemplifies how far the Republican Party has drifted from mainstream America.

I'm sure the orange narcissist living in the White House would love to get that prize, and he's probably pinning his hopes on talking North Korea into giving up their nuclear weapons. It ain't going to happen. North Korea is not going to give up their nuclear weapons, and the Nobel committee is not going to give Trump anything.

The chart above was made using information in a new Politico / Morning Consult Poll -- done between May 10th and 14th of a national sample of 1,993 registered voters, with a 2 point margin of error.

Transcript Of Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize Speech

(Photo of Bob Dylan meeting the Obama's at the White House is by Pete Souza.)

The Nobel Prize for literature was awarded to Bob Dylan last year. One of the requirements for someone receiving a Nobel Prize is to give an acceptance speech at the banquet following the awards. Dylan was not able to attend the banquet, but sent the following speech, which was read by the United States Ambassador to Sweden. Dylan said:

Good evening, everyone. I extend my warmest greetings to the members of the Swedish Academy and to all of the other distinguished guests in attendance tonight.

I’m sorry I can’t be with you in person, but please know that I am most definitely with you in spirit and honored to be receiving such a prestigious prize. Being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature is something I never could have imagined or seen coming. From an early age, I’ve been familiar with and reading and absorbing the works of those who were deemed worthy of such a distinction: Kipling, Shaw, Thomas Mann, Pearl Buck, Albert Camus, Hemingway. These giants of literature whose works are taught in the schoolroom, housed in libraries around the world and spoken of in reverent tones have always made a deep impression. That I now join the names on such a list is truly beyond words.

I don’t know if these men and women ever thought of the Nobel honor for themselves, but I suppose that anyone writing a book, or a poem, or a play anywhere in the world might harbor that secret dream deep down inside. It’s probably buried so deep that they don’t even know it’s there.

If someone had ever told me that I had the slightest chance of winning the Nobel Prize, I would have to think that I’d have about the same odds as standing on the moon. In fact, during the year I was born and for a few years after, there wasn’t anyone in the world who was considered good enough to win this Nobel Prize. So, I recognize that I am in very rare company, to say the least.

I was out on the road when I received this surprising news, and it took me more than a few minutes to properly process it. I began to think about William Shakespeare, the great literary figure. I would reckon he thought of himself as a dramatist. The thought that he was writing literature couldn’t have entered his head. His words were written for the stage. Meant to be spoken not read. When he was writing Hamlet, I’m sure he was thinking about a lot of different things: “Who’re the right actors for these roles?” “How should this be staged?” “Do I really want to set this in Denmark?” His creative vision and ambitions were no doubt at the forefront of his mind, but there were also more mundane matters to consider and deal with. “Is the financing in place?” “Are there enough good seats for my patrons?” “Where am I going to get a human skull?” I would bet that the farthest thing from Shakespeare’s mind was the question “Is this literature?”

When I started writing songs as a teenager, and even as I started to achieve some renown for my abilities, my aspirations for these songs only went so far. I thought they could be heard in coffee houses or bars, maybe later in places like Carnegie Hall, the London Palladium. If I was really dreaming big, maybe I could imagine getting to make a record and then hearing my songs on the radio. That was really the big prize in my mind. Making records and hearing your songs on the radio meant that you were reaching a big audience and that you might get to keep doing what you had set out to do.

Well, I’ve been doing what I set out to do for a long time, now. I’ve made dozens of records and played thousands of concerts all around the world. But it’s my songs that are at the vital center of almost everything I do. They seemed to have found a place in the lives of many people throughout many different cultures and I’m grateful for that.

But there’s one thing I must say. As a performer I’ve played for 50,000 people and I’ve played for 50 people and I can tell you that it is harder to play for 50 people. 50,000 people have a singular persona, not so with 50. Each person has an individual, separate identity, a world unto themselves. They can perceive things more clearly. Your honesty and how it relates to the depth of your talent is tried. The fact that the Nobel committee is so small is not lost on me.

But, like Shakespeare, I too am often occupied with the pursuit of my creative endeavors and dealing with all aspects of life’s mundane matters. “Who are the best musicians for these songs?” “Am I recording in the right studio?” “Is this song in the right key?” Some things never change, even in 400 years.

Not once have I ever had the time to ask myself, “Are my songs literature?”

So, I do thank the Swedish Academy, both for taking the time to consider that very question, and, ultimately, for providing such a wonderful answer.

My best wishes to you all,

Bob Dylan

70 Nobel Prize Winners Endorse Hillary Clinton For President

The open letter above is from 70 Nobel Prize laureates. They all signed the letter with their name, the field in which they won the prize, and the year. These brilliant people know that this is a very important election, and they say that they "strongly and fully support Hillary Clinton to be President of the United States".

Bob Dylan Wins The Nobel Prize For Literature

(Photo is from mensxp.com.)

The 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature has, for the first time in 23 years, been awarded to an American. The last winner was Toni Morrison in 1993. This year it went to singer/songwriter Bob Dylan. Dylan won the award "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition".

There has been some consternation that the award went to a songwriter instead of a novelist or poet, but there shouldn't be. Dylan's lyrics stand beautifully without any musical accompaniment. It is poetry of the highest order. The music enhances his poetry, as music can enhance any poetry by any other poet -- but the lyrics (i.e., poetry) written by Dylan would be successful if just printed as a volume of poetry.

Dylan was a master of words and imagery, and his words spoke to millions of people in a profound way. I applaud the Swedish Academy for selecting Bob Dylan to receive this award. It was a bold choice, and one that was well deserved.

An Open Letter From Nobel Laureates Supporting GMO's

(This photo of Golden Rice is from naturalproductsinsider.com.)

Many of my progressive sisters and brothers will probably be angry at this post, but I have never been sold on the idea that genetically-modified food (GMO) is dangerous. The truth is that man has been genetically modifying crops as long as faring has been in existence -- and almost all of the food we eat today (including that grown on "organic" farms) has been genetically-modified. In short, I believe it is more important to feed the world than to give in to myths and unfounded fears.

Here is the letter signed by 110 Nobel Prize laureates in support of GMO's (particularly Golden Rice):

To the Leaders of Greenpeace, the United Nations and Governments around the world

The United Nations Food & Agriculture Program has noted that global production of food, feed and fiber will need approximately to double by 2050 to meet the demands of a growing global population. Organizations opposed to modern plant breeding, with Greenpeace at their lead, have repeatedly denied these facts and opposed biotechnological innovations in agriculture. They have misrepresented their risks, benefits, and impacts, and supported the criminal destruction of approved field trials and research projects.

We urge Greenpeace and its supporters to re-examine the experience of farmers and consumers worldwide with crops and foods improved through biotechnology, recognize the findings of authoritative scientific bodies and regulatory agencies, and abandon their campaign against "GMOs" in general and Golden Rice in particular.

Scientific and regulatory agencies around the world have repeatedly and consistently found crops and foods improved through biotechnology to be as safe as, if not safer than those derived from any other method of production. There has never been a single confirmed case of a negative health outcome for humans or animals from their consumption. Their environmental impacts have been shown repeatedly to be less damaging to the environment, and a boon to global biodiversity. 

Greenpeace has spearheaded opposition to Golden Rice, which has the potential to reduce or eliminate much of the death and disease caused by a vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which has the greatest impact on the poorest people in Africa and Southeast Asia.

The World Health Organization estimates that 250 million people, suffer from VAD, including 40 percent of the children under five in the developing world. Based on UNICEF statistics, a total of one to two million preventable deaths occur annually as a result of VAD, because it compromises the immune system, putting babies and children at great risk. VAD itself is the leading cause of childhood blindness globally affecting 250,000 - 500,000 children each year. Half die within 12 months of losing their eyesight. 

WE CALL UPON GREENPEACE to cease and desist in its campaign against Golden Rice specifically, and crops and foods improved through biotechnology in general;

WE CALL UPON GOVERNMENTS OF THE WORLD to reject Greenpeace's campaign against Golden Rice specifically, and crops and foods improved through biotechnology in general; and to do everything in their power to oppose Greenpeace's actions and accelerate the access of farmers to all the tools of modern biology, especially seeds improved through biotechnology. Opposition based on emotion and dogma contradicted by data must be stopped.

How many poor people in the world must die before we consider this a "crime against humanity"?

Sincerely,

LIST OF SIGNERS OF THIS LETTER

The Nobel Prize Committee Gets It Right This Year

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded,and this year it is shared by two very deserving people -- Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi of India.

Malala Yousafzai, 17, is the young lady who was shot by the Taliban for trying to get an education. But she didn't back down after recovering from her wounds. She has become one of the world's most prominent spokespersons for the education of girls/women.

Kailash Satyarthi, 60, has dedicated his life to fighting for children's rights.

In giving the award to these two brave individuals, the Nobel Committee said:

 ". . .their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education."

"Children must go to school and not be financially exploited. In the poor countries of the world, 60% of the present population is under 25 years of age. It is a prerequisite for peaceful global development that the rights of children and young people be respected."

(The photo of Malala Yousafzai is from marie claire.)

(The photo of Kailash Satyarthi is from kailashsatyarthi.net.)

Congratulations To Our Northern Neighbor !

(The image of Alice Munro above was found at the website ranker.com.)

The Nobel Prize for literature has been awarded, and the winner this year is Canadian short-story write Alice Munro. Munro is the 13th woman to win the prestigious award, and the first Canadian to win it. When notified she had won, Munro said:

"I knew I was in the running, yes, but I never thought I would win.

I am amazed and very grateful. I am particularly glad that winning this award will please so many Canadians. I'm happy that this will bring more attention to Canadian writing."

Here is a short biography of Munro by CNN:

Munro, who lives in the southwestern Ontario town of Clinton, was born near there in Wingham, where her father was a fox farmer and her mother was a teacher.

She started writing stories in her teen years and studied journalism and English at the University of Western Ontario.

Munro took a breather from her studies when she got married in 1951. She and her husband moved to Victoria, British Columbia, and opened a bookstore.

She published in various magazines starting in the 1950s. In 1968, she published "Dance of the Happy Shades," a book-length collection of short stories.

Other well-known works include: "Who Do You Think You Are?" (1978), "The Moons of Jupiter" (1982), "Runaway" (2004), "The View from Castle Rock" (2006) and "Too Much Happiness" (2009).

A story in the 2001 collection "Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage" was the basis of the 2006 film "Away from Her," directed by Sarah Polley.

Munro gained world renown for writing about everyday people.

Manning Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize

(The image above is from the Facebook page Underground Health.)

You guys know what I think about the Bradley Manning case. I think he did the citizens of this country and the world a favor by exposing the wrongful actions of this government. And personally, I think he's already spent too much time in prison. I can understand the Army kicking him out (if that's what they want to do), since he's obviously not someone who will follow an order against his conscience. But sentencing him to a long prison sentence would only have a chilling effect on future whistleblowers (which is not good for an open democracy).

Now it looks like some people agree. Six world officials had already officially nominated Bradley Manning for the Nobel Peace Prize (and got it in before the February 1st deadline), but on Monday anti-war activist Norman Solomon delivered a petition to Nobel officials with over 100,000 signatures on it. The petition backed Manning getting the Peace Prize.

I don't know if Manning will get that prestigious award. After all, he embarrassed a lot of government officials -- and the U.S. government has long arms. I'd like to see it though. This would be a good way for the world to rebuke the United States, and make it clear that there are limits on behavior -- even for the most powerful nation in the world.

Nobel Prize Winners Speak Out

68 Nobel Prize winners in science & medicine have spoken out in an open letter to the American people about the coming election, and how it will affect our future. Here is their letter:

An Open Letter to the American People

America's economic future, the quality of our health, and the quality of our environment depend on our ability to continue America's proud legacy of discovery and invention. As winners of the Nobel Prizes in science, we are proud of our contribution to the extraordinary advances American science has made in recent years. But we're deeply concerned that without leadership and continued commitment to scientific research the next generation of Americans will not make and benefit from future discoveries.

President Obama understands the key role science has played in building a prosperous America, has delivered on his promise to renew our faith in science-based decision-making and has championed investment in science and technology research that is the engine of our economy. He has built strong programs to educate young Americans in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and programs to provide Americans the training they need to keep pace with a technology-driven economy.

His opponent supports a budget that, if implemented, would devastate a long tradition of support for public research and investment in science at a time when this country's future depends, as never befor, on innovation. He has also taken positions that privilege ideology over clear scientific evidence on climate change.

As a nation we must continue the investments that revolutionized agriculture, invented the Internet, gave us modern medicine and enabled a strong national defense. Abandoning this tradition would be a devastating step backwards. If you believe, as we do, that America's future is bound in esstential ways to science and innovation, we urge you to join us in working to ensure the reelection of President Obama.

I completely agree with this assessment of our leading scientists. If you would like to see who signed this letter, you can go to this site.

Nobel Peace Prize Awarded

This year's Nobel Peace Prize (worth $1.5 million) is shared by the three women pictured above. They are (from left to right):

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf -- president of Liberia, and Africa's first elected female head of state.

Leymah Gbowee -- a Liberian peace activist.

Tawakul Karman -- a leader in the democracy movement in Yemen.

The Nobel committee said these women won for their "non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work." The committee went on to say, "We cannot achieve democracy and lasting peace in the world unless women achieve the same opportunities as men to influence developments at all levels of society."

The committee is absolutely right. True justice will not be achieved until women all over the world have the same rights and opportunities as men. I congratulate these women for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and I thank them for their efforts to make this a better world for everyone.

Six Countries Bow To Chinese Pressure

The Nobel Prize Committee exhibited their usual courage this year in picking the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.   The prize this year, which also includes a cash award of $1.4 million, was awarded this year to a resident of China -- Liu Xiaobo.   Most countries are proud when one of their citizens are given this prestigious prize, but China is not.   In fact, China is very angry and consider awarding the prize to Liu Xiaobo to be an insult to their government.

You see, Liu Xiaobo is currently serving an 11 year prison term in China.   He was convicted of "subversion" last year.   It seems he drafted a charter calling for China to institute a multi-party democracy and respect the human rights of its individual citizens -- a definite crime in the Chinese one-party dictatorship.

The Chinese are so mad that they have warned all other nations not to attend the Nobel Prize ceremony which is to be held on December 10th.   It is common practice for the nations with embassies in Norway to have their ambassadors attend the ceremony, but this year the Chinese are waging an all-out campaign to get countries to boycott the ceremony.   They have said that any nation that attends the ceremony will suffer "consequences" -- although they have not enumerated just what those consequences would be.

So far, thirty-six nations have announced that they will be attending the ceremony (including the United States and most European countries).   But at least six countries have bowed to the pressure from the Chinese and announced they will not be attending the ceremony (although none of them will admit they are caving in to Chinese demands).   These cowardly countries are Russia, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Cuba, Morocco, and China (of course).

I was a little surprised by the Russians giving in, but I guess they don't want any trouble on their long border with China (which has seen a multitude of problems over the years).   The Russians are trying to save face by claiming they won't be there because their ambassador just happens to be scheduled to be out of Norway that week (as if the world doesn't know one of his underlings could take his place if it was really true).

Another sixteen countries have requested more time before deciding if they will attend.   Their ambassadors have told the Norwegians that this is a "sensitive" issue and they need to consult with their governments.   It is likely that at least some of them will also bow to the pressure being put on them by the Chinese government.

What makes this kind of crazy is that the Nobel Peace Prize will probably not be handed out in the December 10th ceremony.   The Nobel rules state that the prize can only be given to the recipient or a close family member.   Xiaobo is in prison and his wife has been on house arrest since the prize was announced (even though she's committed no crime).   Additionally, his brothers are being watched closely by the Chinese police, and it is very doubtful they would be allowed to leave the country.

Personally, I think the Chinese are being more than a little silly in their reaction to Xiaobo winning the prize.   It's already a done deal.   He's the winner, and whether they ever let him leave the country to accept the prize or not, he will always be remembered as the 2010 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.   Boycotting the ceremony or refusing to allow his family to accept the prize will not change that -- it just makes the Chinese government look foolish.

China has registered their displeasure.   Now they should back off.

Nobel Peace Prize ? Obama ?

Don't misunderstand me. I voted for Barack Obama, and although I don't agree with every decision he's made, I'm still a big supporter. But I must admit that I was shocked when I learned he had won the Nobel Peace Prize.

I mean, he's been president for less than a year and really hasn't accomplished very much -- yet. We're still in the middle of two foreign wars that don't seem to be accomplishing much except to continue the killing of both soldiers and civilians. He still hasn't instituted rules to control the shenanigans of the financial world, and health care reform is still a mess.

Very little has been accomplished on the international scene either. Pirates are still operating out of Somalia, Honduras is still in crises, there are no Mid-East peace talks, Israel has ignored pleas to stop building on the West Bank, Iran and North Korea are going nuclear and the world-wide recession still drones on.

Jimmy Carter won because he engineered an amazing peace accord between Israel and Egypt. So what has President Obama done to warrant the prize? To figure that out, we have to listen to the words of the Nobel chairman and committee.

Chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said, "Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given it's people hope for a better future." The committee said Obama was honored "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

I think I understand now. He got the award because he's not George Bush. Europe is so happy to be rid of George Bush and his cowboy mentality, they're willing to do almost anything!

For his part, at least President Obama is not bragging about the prize. Here's what he said:

"I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee. Let me be clear: I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations."

"To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize, men and women who’ve inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace."

I don't have a problem with President Obama winning the Nobel Prize, but now he needs to get busy and earn it for real.

Richardson Nominated For 2008 Nobel Peace Prize

It was recently announced that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has been nominated for the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize. He was nominated by Rep Bart Gordon of Tennessee for his work in Darfur and in North Korea. The nominating letter was signed by 12 members of Congress. They are:

Bart Gordon (Tennessee, 6th Congressional District);
Joe Baca (California, 43rd);
Xavier Becerra (California, 31st);
Eliot Engel (New York, 17th);
Bob Filner (California, 51st);
Charles Gonzalez (Texas, 20th);
Grace Napolitano (California, 38th);
Solomon Ortiz (Texas, 27th);
Jim Ramstad (Minnesota, 3rd);
Silvestre Reyes (Texas, 16th);
Ciro Rodriguez (Texas, 23rd); and
John Tanner (Tennessee, 8th).

This is the fifth time Bill Richardson has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Previously, he was nominated in 1995, 1997, 2000 and 2001.

This comes as no surprise to those familiar with his diplomatic work. Much of it has been nothing short of miraculous. Richardson has the ability to talk with and get agreements from leaders and regimes that others cannot communicate with.

That is one reason I think he would make a great president. George Bush has trashed our relations with many other countries and our reputation on the world stage. Bill Richardson is the one man who can re-establish those relationships and rehabilitate America's reputation.

NOTE -- I want to wish Bill Richardson a belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY! His birthday was on November 15th, and I apologize for the lateness of my birthday wishes.

Bill Richardson Congratulates Al Gore

This has been a great year for Democrat Al Gore. He won an Oscar for his film An Inconvenient Truth and an Emmy for his new TV channel. Last week, he was named as a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in helping to spread the word about global climactic change (or global warming as it's commonly called).

As other Democrats and world leaders have in the last few days, Gov. Bill Richardson offers Mr. Gore his congratulations on this remarkable achievment. Here is what Richardson had to say (also posted at the Huffington Post):

Today's announcement by the Nobel committee is a well-deserved benchmark in Al Gore's remarkable record of public service. Congratulations to Al and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and a heartfelt thank you for your work.

In fact, I would argue Gore's work on bringing attention to the global warming crisis is the most critical of his distinguished career. He has been on the fore front, and has dragged our attention to the crisis when we still have a little time to change course. His Nobel Prize is fitting.

Today's Peace Prize announcement is noteworthy not only because it recognizes Al Gore's extraordinary achievement. It is noteworthy because it signals a new world recognition that the fight for global climate change and the work to revolutionize our energy production as essential to peaceful co-existence.

We must confront the global warming threat head on and we must act now. The continued battle between and within nations for scarce resources is fueling tragic unrest. Our dependence on foreign oil threatens our national security. Global warming threatens our environment, and its catastrophic effects threaten the basic stability of the world and its people. With Al Gore's win, the Nobel Committee has recognized that the fight against global warming truly is about peace.

We need bold change. We need a new energy revolution, and a renewed commitment to diplomacy as an integral part of fighting the global climate crisis. I have seen first hand in my negotiations in Darfur the consequences when we don't attend these issues before they boil over into tragedy. I have also seen first hand that remarkable progress is possible when we set our minds to it. I know what we can do to revolutionize our energy system, because I've done it in New Mexico.

In New Mexico we follow the Kyoto Protocols, even if Bush won't. We have created incentives for alternative energy technologies to spur innovation. And we've created a regional transmission authority to enable more effective integration of new energy production into our energy grid.

I've made New Mexico the Clean Energy State. And as President, I would make this the Clean Energy Nation. The Sierra Club has called my plan for a new energy revolution the most aggressive of any candidates' plans. Some believe that my proposals go too far - in my plan, we would cut oil demand by 50% and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2050. But I believe we must act boldly and act now. The world is looking to us for bold leadership on climate change, and our next President must be prepared for the challenge.

Al Gore's work on global warming have been a turning point in this battle, and his award today is a fitting recognition. But solving this problem will take more than the heroic efforts of one man. It will require sacrifice from every American. It will require the resolve of the citizens of the world. And it will require bold Presidential leadership.