Thus The New York Times today. “President Obama’s proposal of new rules to cut emissions at power plants is calculated to help keep environmental promises,” explains the newspaper, “including a pledge to cut seventeen percent of the nation’s greenhouse gases by 2020.” Leadership? Promises? Seventeen percent? To begin with, America has never led anything, let alone the world, in environmental concerns. Quite the opposite, as a matter of fact. Next, if there were any promises in this connection, they came during presidential elections only. That is, at the wrong time. Most important, the target of seventeen percent is ridiculous at best. As such, it smacks of hard negotiations ending with an inane compromise. The only thing that rings a bell in the gibberish is that the American president is now trying to present himself as a green hero of sorts. But the first thing that comes to mind in this connection is that he is bound to tour the globe parading his leadership any time soon. Democracy and the environment! Or green democracy, to coin a phrase. Good luck, Obama! But not even the American military can help save the planet any longer. If leadership is needed, it is about survival rather then prevention. And no politician would have the guts to admit that there were no other options left to ponder. Not even good old Obama.