In an appearance on his newly launched campaign for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) argued that the United States could tackle climate change because of its standing as the “indispensable nation.”

O’Rourke invoked the landing on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day during World War II to bolster his argument.

“Now, the current president says he doesn’t believe in climate change. I don’t know how many countries are on the face of the planet — 192, mas o menos,” O’Rourke said. “How can we, who used to be the indispensable nation, be the only country that has removed itself from any obligation to work with anyone on perhaps the most pressing problem. When you think about leadership, those who preceded us — those who were on the beaches in Normandy, those who faced an existential threat to Western democracy and our way of life, they showed us the way. We can all come together. We can unite. We can marshal the resources. And we can convene the countries of the world around otherwise unsolvable problems. That’s who we are. That’s why they call us the indispensable nation. Well, that moment is now for us on this issue. So, if there’s a time to reassert global leadership and make friends instead of enemies, it’s today because the challenges are too great to do otherwise.”

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