The polar bear was today recognized by the Bush administration as a "threatened" species. This means that, under the Endangered Species Act, the majestic, apex predator of the Arctic is just one step away from endangered and two steps away from extinction.

Indeed, scientists are concerned. But the Bush administration doesn't give a fuck about scientists. Nor do they give a fuck about you, your kids or your kid's kids. That's why there's this little addendum:

A threatened listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is supposed to provide broad protection to polar bears. Greenpeace, however, noted an exemption (technically known as a 4d exemption) for global warming pollution contained in the ruling.

"Global warming is the biggest threat facing polar bears and this exemption eliminates any real protection the listing could have provided," the group said. "It specifically says federal agencies don't need to consider the impact of global warming pollution on the polar bear.

"This might look like a listing to protect the polar bear but it's really just a way for the administration to protect the interests of the oil and gas industry, as well as get away without taking action on global warming."

A victory for the crackpots yesterday, so plan on hearing about it for the next 10 to 12 years.

John Coleman, the crotchety 73-year-old man who two decades ago created the piddling Weather Channel, told an audience at the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change that the station he founded is now controlled more by finance than benevolence, and that it covers up what he calls "the fraud of global warming." Surely Coleman was indirectly admonishing Heidi Cullen, a pinko ninny currently with The Weather Channel, who in 2006 stated on her blog that meteorologists who doubted human influence on global warming should be decertified.

In the past, Coleman has said that the scientifically accepted idea of harmful climate change due to greenhouse gases is "the greatest scam in history."

After the jump, Coleman's dotage, for all to see!

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