We’re Looking Forward to Spirited Debate on the President’s Anti-Twister Legislation

We generally give the President the benefit of the doubt, dismiss claims that he’s an imbecile, and find the often obvious political and tactical brilliance in his seeming missteps. Then we go and read something like this:

In his new book about Mr. Bush, “Rebel in Chief: Inside the Bold and Controversial Presidency of George W. Bush,” Fred Barnes recalls a visit to the White House last year by Michael Crichton, whose 2004 best-selling novel, “State of Fear,” suggests that global warming is an unproven theory and an overstated threat.

Mr. Barnes, who describes Mr. Bush as “a dissenter on the theory of global warming,” writes that the president “avidly read” the novel and met the author after Karl Rove, his chief political adviser, arranged it. He says Mr. Bush and his guest “talked for an hour and were in near-total agreement.”

If you are the sort of person who formulates serious opinions on matters scientific based on Michael Chrichton books — besides, say, the theory that dinosaurs are totally scary/awesome — then we’re sorry, but we actually would feel much more secure believing that the guy who drunkenly shot a 78-year-old lawyer in the face last week was really in charge.

Bush’s Chat With Novelist Alarms Environmentalists [NYT]

READ MORE: bush, environmentalism, global warming, michael crichton