Edwards describes stands on health care, energy, Iraq

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_6790508

Mercury News
Article Launched: 09/03/2007 01:33:10 AM PDT

As part of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group's "Road to the White House" series, former Sen. John Edwards appeared before 200 executives Aug. 1. After a short speech, he was interviewed by Mercury News Editorial Page Editor and Vice President Stephen E. Wright. Below is an edited transcript. Go to www.mercurynews.com/opinion to read a transcript of an interview Wright did with Sen. John McCain (before he announced he would be a presidential candidate) and Cisco Systems Chief Executive John Chambers. Also posted is a story about Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech to the Leadership Group about her "innovation" agenda.

STEPHEN E. WRIGHT: There are many "green-technology" companies that call Silicon Valley home, so we know that global-warming is a problem. But in Washington, it seems that they are having a difficult time prioritizing responses. What would be the two or three most important global-warming issues you would tackle? And, if elected president, how would you solve them?

SEN. JOHN EDWARDS: Addressing global warming in a serious way requires a comprehensive set of ideas. I think it's very hard to say there is this one solution. My view is that we have to cap carbon emissions in America. We need a national cap. We ought to reduce our carbon emissions by a minimum of 80 percent over the next four decades. I'm going to add a caveat because the science is, while clear abouthe human contribution to global warming, it's constantly changing and evolving. We get new information, it seems like, regularly. But I think we have to get off carbon-based fuels. It's a very simple thing, and that means wind, solar, cellulose-based biofuels. I think we should not be building coal-fired power plants. We don't have the capacity to sequester or capture the carbon.

WRIGHT: Sorry to interrupt, but what about nuclear power?

EDWARDS: I'm totally opposed to nuclear power. And I know there may be people in the room who are for nuclear power. But I am opposed to it because I am not satisfied we have a safe way to dispose of the waste, and I think there's also a practical problem, which is this transition has to happen now. And we haven't built a nuclear power plant in America in decades. It would take an extraordinary amount of time to plan, develop, build, and get a nuclear power plant on line.

WRIGHT: Let me move now to health care because you were out first with your universal plan, and WRIGHT: Let me move now to health care because you were out first with your universal plan, and, obviously, California has been talking about health care reform seriously for the past year. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan seems to be stuck on the operating table. But perhaps you could talk a little bit about how your health care plan would address the rising costs, especially to individuals, and then how you would pay the estimated $90 billion to $120 billion cost.

FULL story at link.

[papau]

1. Edwards has moved up on my list because of his excellent - specific - proposals - but I am still

going to wait for Hillary's universal health proposal before I work out the final - for me - rankings.