Earlier today, Ben Smith reported that McCain research director-cum-press secretary Brian Rogers will begin working as the research director for Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection. On the campaign trail, Rogers worked alongside deputy communications director Michael Goldfarb, who responded to today’s announcement with poise and professional courtesy. “Everybody knew Rogers was a tree-hugger,” Goldfarb noted by email, “but I didn’t think he’d take it this far. He’s dead to me.”
This has been today’s edition of “fun quotes from people who wanted to run the country.” But thinking critically for a moment it’s not clear how accurate Goldfarb’s charges are. Notwithstanding all the ‘Drill Here, Drill Now’ strangeness, McCain–though nowhere near Al Gore territory–has generally been more progressive on the climate change issue than has the rest of his party. So on the one hand it’s not all that surprising that he’d have an environmentalist on his staff.
On the other hand, though, this is the same Brian Rogers who, in an earlier edition of “fun quotes from people who wanted to run the country” once said of Barack Obama, “In terms of who’s an elitist, I think people have made a judgment that John McCain is not an arugula-eating, pointy headed professor-type based on his life story.” Tree-huggers are traditionally believed to enjoy arugula as much as pointy-headed professors, and there is, of course, significant overlap between the two groups. Perhaps he’s super green after all.
