Obama: He Listens. He Cares.

The City of Des Moines Mayor, Frank Cownie, gave the most insightful sound byte of why Barack Obama won the Democratic caucus in Iowa. Cownie declared: “Obama listens. He cares.”

Now with Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack Obama in New Hampshire, preparing for next week’s contest, it’s important to throw in the E-word. Not education or the economy, but the OTHER “e” word: the Environment.

This year’s candidates are dishing up Apple-Pie-America to their audiences. They’re bringing back basic values that made this country strong: a good healthcare and educational system, an end to “endless” war.

America wants a return to values that made it strong. Bootstrapping our way to success? Yes! Yet, is it possible that protection of the Environment is not an American Value? It reflects the value of self-responsibility, and sustainability. Obama offers some hope when he promises to “free America from the tyranny of oil.” We also need a roadmap. A plan.

By contrast, in Australia, newly elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd built his winning campaign on taking personal action to protect the environment. At his innauguration, December 3rd, his very first act - the first action he took - was to declare that he would sign the Kyoto Protocol. He then flew to Bali, to the UN Climate Change Conference, signed the document and gave a rousing speech to cheering delegates.

Is there any frontrunner out there, running for President who feels this sense of urgency? Huckabee? Romney? McCain? Obama? Edwards? Hillary?

I described Huckabee’s world in An American GULAG.

At the Bali Conference, delegates threw up their hands at America’s stall tactics and declared: “We’ll wait for America to catch up with us in 2009. Will it?