US: December 14, 2007


Republican US presidential candidates rebelled against a debate moderator on Wednesday and refused to raise their hands in response to a question about global warming.


Fred Thompson, the former Tennessee senator and Hollywood actor led the revolt. "I'm not doing hand shows. No hand shows," he said to applause. "You want to give me a minute to answer that?"

Moderator Carolyn Washburn, editor of the Des Moines Register, said no and Thompson responded, to laughter: "Well then I'm not going to answer it."

Though they wouldn't raise their hands, other candidates clamored to give their views on global warming. Washburn allowed them to explain themselves. Here are some of their responses:

* ARIZONA SEN. JOHN MCCAIN:

- "I know that climate change is real."

- "It's real, we've got to address it, we can do it with technology, with cap and trade, with capitalist and free enterprise motivation. And I'm confident that we can pass on to our children and grandchildren a cleaner, better world."

* FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI:

- "Climate change is real. It's happening. I believe human beings are contributing to it."

- "I think the best way to deal with it is through energy independence."

* FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOV. MITT ROMNEY:

- "Is global warming an issue for the world? Absolutely Is it something we can deal with by becoming energy independent and energy secure? We sure can."

- "It's going to help our economy because we're going to invest in new technologies to get ourselves off of foreign oil. And as we get ourselves off of foreign oil, we also dramatically reduce our CO2 emissions."

* FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE:

- "The reason that this issue ought to be important is because we don't own this Earth; we are simply stewards of it, caretakers."

- "But climate change and who's causing it is of less importance...We have done no harm if we take better care of this planet and give it to our children with cleaner air, cleaner soil and cleaner water." (Reporting by Deborah Charles in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)


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