Well, at least it's not anywhere I can find it, but Tony Snow was playing some comments from yesterday's Earth Day photo op/campaign stop by John Kerry. (Tony Snow is on tape delay in San Diego, so I heard him on my way home.) Kerry's comment was something to the effect: We have the potential of becoming the first generation in the history of American to leave the environment in worse shape, worse than our parents, the greatest generation, gave it to us.

Maybe the reason I can't find the quote anywhere is that it is so demonstrably untrue and stupid that reporters didn't feel it would be appropriate in an Earth Day story. Around the turn of the century with the robber barons were so careful not to disturb vernal pools as they built their vast networks railways. And in Chicago where the sewage treatment was unheard of as they dumped effluent into the rivers. That generation certainly left their kids with a cleaner world.

You can bet if Bush had said it, it'd be all over the news and the left-wing blog sites.

The problem with Kerry's comments, and really with every lefty-environmentalist's comments regarding the state of the environment, is they believe that you can't pro-business and pro-environment at the same time. Kerry gets former EPA administrator Carol Browner to come out and join him on the stump to allege:

"This is simply the worst administration ever when it comes to protecting our air and water and the health of our families and communities."

Remember back when the Democrats accused President Bush of wanting to put more arsenic in drinking water? The Clinton Administration (and its EPA Administrator Carol Browner) waited eight years before lowering the amount of arsenic allowable in drinking water in the last weeks before they left office. Bush delays those rules for a few more months, and the environmentalists scream bloody murder. Bush doesn't get any kudos for toughening the rules on diesel fuel -- something Clinton never even attempted.

When it comes to the environment -- in the eyes of the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, etc. -- Republicans can do no right; Democrats can do no wrong.

*UPDATE* Found a very similar quote here. As reported by the New York Times Kerry's laughable statement reads:

"For the first time in history," he said, "our generation may pass this country on to our children in worse shape than we were in fact handed it by our parents. And I believe that is an unacceptable principle worth fighting about, worth having an election about, worth changing the direction of this country for."

This looks to be a standard, but demonstrably untrue, line in his environment stump speech.