José Bové is a leading French activist against biotechnologyThe government of President Nicolas Sarkozy wants the French people to be able to opt for genetically modified organisms (GMOs), not just to opt against them. A proposed law governing GMOs and defining several broad principles has been forwarded to the Conseil d'Etat (the French equivalent to the U.S. Supreme Court) and the executive branch hopes that it will be passed by Parliament by February 2008. Some passages appear positive, like "GMOs cannot be commercialized, cultivated or used except in a manner that is respectful to the environment and public health, and with complete transparency." But these are followed by obvious nods to GMO producers, such as a revision from the right to choose freely to produce and consume "without GMOs" to "the liberty to consume and produce with or without" GMOs. Arnaud Apoteker of Greenpeace said that he is disappointed. "The project doesn't give priority to non-GMO cultivation. It gives the impression that coexistence is possible, whereas the dissemination of GMOs is inevitable." GMO proponents don't see the proposed legislation as completely positive either. A spokesman for seed producers said that the articles that assign responsibility to the GMO users and the seed distributor for any damages caused to neighboring fields due to seed drift, and the need to register usage of GMO seed stock at a more local level than expected "are problematic."

In January 2008, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will "examine carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates that claim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in one place to offset emissions elsewhere." It's part one of the agency's review of "green" marketing guidelines. The review was initially slated for 2009, but is being moved up due to the rapid increase in marketing things like carbon offset programs, a "$55 million market that is largely unregulated." A legal staffer for the U.S. House select committee on global warming explains, "The market is really exploding ... so there's the potential for scam artists to move in and take advantage of people." In a different kind of scam, a group calling themselves "Greenwash Guerillas" put out a press release claiming that U.S. Climate Action Partnership (CAP) members would make "a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emission by 2050," and urge "mandatory reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors of the economy," as well as "an immediate moratorium on the construction of new coal-fired power plants." Several media outlets reported the fake news, which was designed to criticize CAP "for attempting to seem green without making radical changes," reports CNET News. CAP members include BP, General Electric and DuPont.

In an interview with Texas Monthly, former White House counselor Dan Bartlett complains that many reporters are overly critical of President Bush. "White House correspondents have been tagged, unfairly, with not being tough enough on the administration and President Bush in the run-up to the [Iraq] war. ... The problem is, they're acting now like they have to be five times more critical, and I think they've gone overboard." He adds, "There's a lot of perfect hindsight now about things we would have done differently. ... There are comments the president made that he would love to take back. 'Bring 'em on' is one he regrets. ... He does and I do. Me personally, [I regret] the 'Mission Accomplished' banner." Thank goodness for "influential" conservative blogs, which Bartlett calls "a direct IV into the vein of your support. It's a very efficient way to communicate. They regurgitate exactly and put up on their blogs what you said to them. It is something that we've cultivated and have really tried to put quite a bit of focus on."

Emmy award-winning television reporter Andrea Cambern "might be the most trusted news anchor in Columbus," Ohio, writes Steph Greegor. "So she's believable when she appears in reports reinforcing the notion that the Ohio State University Medical Center is a fine facility. What those clips don't mention is that Ohio State paid Channel 10 for them. ... Cambern appears in Channel 10's Breakthroughs in Medicine, for which Ohio State pays the station almost $100,000 annually. [Local NBC anchor Amy] Basista hosts Channel 4's Med Breaks, for which the station rakes in almost $150,000 a year." Another Channel 10 reporter produces "HealthSource features" sponsored by Nationwide Children's Hospital, McDonald's and Nationwide Insurance, while Mount Carmel Health sponsors "Strides in Medicine" segments on two local stations. Only NBC4 "labels its paid health spot as advertising on its website. None of the stations labels the spots as paid advertisements in the on-air versions, though they do introduce the spots referencing the OSU Medical Center." Health journalist and professor Trudy Lieberman calls for "honest, forthright disclosure" of the sponsored segments. She says, "It's really disguised public relations coming in the guise of a newscast."

It doesn't pay to be green if you're a retailer, at least according to the Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at research firm NPD Group. Cohen said that "the consumer is consumed with other things, and very rarely have they ever endorsed and embraced the green endeavors." The Daily Dog elaborates: "As fears over global warming have dominated headlines this year, numerous retailers have announced new and expanded plans to cut down on waste and run stores more efficiently. But this holiday season, there is a divide between the environmental tactics retailers are implementing behind the scenes -- like building stores with recycled materials or using hybrid vehicles—and the shopping experience they provide." Despite survey proof that significant numbers of shoppers would patronize ecologically responsible stores and would even pay a premium for eco-friendly gifts, NPD's Cohen said the green trend was already over. "It's basically a card that a lot of people played while it was hot and trendy," he said. "And it got overplayed."

Bill Berkowitz reports that Paul Wolfowitz "has been offered a position as chairman of the International Security Advisory Board -- formerly known as the Arms Control and Nonproliferation Advisory Board -- a prestigious State Department panel. The 18-member panel, which has access to highly classified intelligence, advises Condoleezza Rice on disarmament, nuclear proliferation, WMD issues and other matters. Wolfowitz will replace former senator Fred Thompson, who quit over the summer to run for the Republican Party's presidential nomination. ... 'Wolfowitz will get some image redemption being back in the White House and involved with foreign policy, with a title to his name and access to and the blessings of Bush, Cheney and presumably Rice,' John Stauber ... told Media Transparency via an e-mail exchange. Stauber pointed out that since this 'is a lame duck Administration responsible for the biggest foreign policy disaster in US history,' it is probably having 'a difficult time filling positions because no one wants to book a ride on a doomed vessel.' ... One of the other big issues remaining for the Bush presidency is whether or not it will 'attack Iran or Syria and expand the war in the Middle East,' said John Stauber. ... 'Whatever the Administration decides to do, Wolfowitz is a team player with Bush and Cheney and he can perform any role they designate.' "