NY Times
July 1, 2012
Taking One for the Country
Thomas L. Friedman
Thomas Friedman’s recent column in the New York Times focused on Chief Justice John Roberts “taking one for the country” in his decision to support the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Friedman described the Roberts decision as “inspired by a simple noble leadership impulse at a critical juncture in our history — to preserve the legitimacy and integrity of the Supreme Court as being above politics.” Friedman’s column went on to observe that with leadership exemplified by the statesmanlike approach of Chief Justice Roberts, “America today is poised for a great renewal,” and he makes a couple of undisputable statements about energy policy refers to help make his case:
- “Our newfound natural gas bounty can give us long-term access to cheap, cleaner energy and, combined with advances in robotics and software, is already bringing blue-collar manufacturing back to America.”
- “If we can just get a few big things right today — . . . a plan on energy that allows us to tap all these new sources in environmentally safe ways — no one could touch us as a country.”
Whether you agree with Friedman on climate change issues (or with Chief Justice Roberts’s decision on Obamacare), it is hard to argue with Friedman’s vision for the energy future of the United States.
