Senator John McCain sought to distance himself from President Bush yesterday when he called for more action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and called for a mandatory cap-and-trade system to combat climate change. In his speech at a wind power company, McCain made a clear challenge to the Bush administration’s inaction on global warming, saying “I will not permit eight long years to pass without serious action on serious challenges.”

McCain’s remarks are nothing new. McCain challenged Bush’s policy on climate change back in 2003. With Sen. Joe Lieberman, McCain proposed the Climate Stewardship Act– landmark legislation that aimed at significantly curbing emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases. This raises some interesting questions about McCain and his willingness to distance himself from the Republican party, which historically has not been a champion of global warming legislation.

While McCain may have helped plant the seeds for bipartisan action on global warming, all of the 2008 presidential candidates have begun weighing in on climate change. Find out more how global warming is heating up the 2008 race for the White House:The Council on Foreign Relations looks at the Democratic and Republican candidates’ positions and actions on climate change.

NewsHour covered this story on Monday, May 12, 2008, in their Reporter’s Blog.