Reid says Republicans don’t even want to talk

At a Senate leadership “Pen and Pad” session, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said too many members of the Republican party will not address what he described as the “most important issue of our time” – global warming. He said that Republicans are afraid of change and are only interested in maintaining the status quo.

Reid said that his main focus in the upcoming weeks will be the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act. In addition to benefiting the environment, this bill is estimated to lower foreign oil imports by 50 percent. He said that the problem facing the Senate is the Republican Party’s refusal to add any sort of input concerning the bill. Reid added that he is ready and willing to negotiate amendments to the Act, although he noted that Republicans seem unwilling to even do that much.

Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said that 87 percent of Americans believe that global warming is an important issue. Durbin also emphasized the idea that the Republicans are afraid of change and that Republican Senators are not putting the appropriate amount of time into the bill. He said that a bipartisan effort is necessary to moving forward on this bill.

Reid also said that the President must take an active role on this issue and cannot just “lurk in the background.” Reid was also questioned about his views regarding Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) and his decision to support Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the 2008 election. Reid responded by saying that Lieberman was an asset to the caucus, regardless of his decision to endorse McCain.