Have At You!

I love it when learned professors like Juan Cole just drop the pose and let rip. Today he echoes NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen's call for the CEOs of the oil majors to be put on trial for obstructing efforts to stop global warming and for misinforming the public about the issue.

Could we also try the Board and Staff of the American Enterprise Institute, which is the "think tank" weasel that Exxon Mobil used to muddy the waters on the science of climate change.

Note too a very suspicious set of coincidences. Lee Raymond, CEO of Exxon Mobil until 2006, is the vice chairman of the AEI board.

The AEI was the major cheerleader for the war in Iraq.

So it looks like the Oil Majors are multitasking. Their "think tank" is giving out money to bribe scientists to deny global warming. And it gave out a lot of advice about how to go to war in Iraq.

My own suggestion would not be so much trial as exile. I think the American Enterprise Institute should be removed to Fallujah, where their expertise is so needed. And where they can get a taste in the summer of what real heat is.

See the link for more, including video of Hansen's testimony.

And this little story from the comments is worth noting:

BP boss Lord Browne was forced to quit yesterday after lying about a gay affair with a lover less than half his age.

Lord Browne, 59 - who worked for the oil giant for 41 years and was due to retire in just two months - misses out on a £15million pay-off.

He resigned after he lied to a court about how he met his lover of four years, Jeff Chevalier, 27. Lord Browne was trying to stop details of his affair being made public. Chevalier told how the tycoon discussed meetings with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown during pillow talk...

Chevalier is believed to have revealed how during "pillow talk" Lord Browne told him details of sensitive private chats with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown...

Tony Blair knighted him in 2001 and his relationship with No10 grew so close the firm was dubbed Blair Petroleum.

Hmmn. It's a tabloid story and they slip the name Blair in wherever they can. WaPo is more cautious but also more detailed:

The article also described Browne's apartment in Venice; conversations Browne allegedly had with British Prime Minister Tony Blair about Blair's plans for when he steps down from office; a conversation Browne allegedly had about E.U. policy with Peter Mandelson, the E.U. commissioner, and bodyguards Browne allegedly took on a pair of business trips to Libya.

The UK Times has more.