Now that the US State Department has determined completion of the Keystone XL pipeline wouldn't aggravate climate change, the president logically and at last will approve the border crossing—won't he?
Don't count on it.
If Barack Obama were inclined to grant the presidential permit required for cross-border transit, he would have done so by now. He has not because environmental activists have chosen to treat Keystone XL as the doom of humanity.
The State Department's final environmental impact statement implies they're exaggerating. In response, they threaten to hit the streets.
The Hill reported comments by Jamie Hegg of the extremist group 350.org, who called the Keystone controversy "the most iconic fight of a generation."
Hegg told The Hill Obama might lose the youth vote if he signs the Keystone XL permit.
"And they will get involved in action that could be disruptive," Hegg said.
Kate Colarulli, associate director of the Sierra Club's Beyond Oil campaign, told The Hill more than 75,000 activists have threatened to resort to civil disobedience if they don't get what they want.
Will Obama stand up to this?
Nothing in the 5 years of his presidency indicates he will. His preparation for politics was a career in activist pursuits. He consistently panders to that world. For Obama, rejecting activist wishes would be personally difficult.
It also might cost his party congressional seats next November. All those youngsters not getting their way might go straight home from election-day demonstrations without stopping to vote for the local Democrat.
It's interesting and encouraging that the State Department has told activists they picked the wrong set of bulldozers to lie down in front of.
The president now must choose between the logical and the noisy.
Approving the Keystone XL border crossing in the face of activist importunity would be good for the US and its closest ally. Instead of basely political, it would be presidential and diplomatic. And it would show doubters Obama possesses those qualities, after all.
