You Still Can't Have It All

George Bush accuses Bill Clinton of wanting to sacrifice jobs for the sake of the environment. Bush says he himself would never do that, although he cares passionately about the environment. Bill Clinton indignantly denies the charge. He says better environmental protection will create, not destroy, jobs.

Both sides in this argument are kidding. The obvious truth is that of course there's a trade-off between jobs and environmental standards. What's more, it's a trade-off both candidates are willing to make. George Bush, for example, signed the Clean Air Act. He brags about it. For the sake of cleaner air, that law...