Obama at Interior
I just watched President Obama address the Department of Interior employees on the occasion of the 160th anniversary of the Department. Although it seemed at points a routine thing for him, which it of course is, he also was very clear that he appreciated the work that we do here, and not just because we protect the national parks, which was Bush's idea of environmental protection. But there was one point when it was clear to me that there was some serious fire in his eyes, and it was when he declared that the supposed choice between environmental protection and economic health was a false one. Although that is a mainstream idea in the environmental community and most progressive quarters, it was encouraging to hear the president say it, and really mean it. I have talked about how it is a refreshing change to have a new "boss" to work for, but this speech made it a bit more real. He was also dead serious when he said that we should be looking for ways to improve the