Actor Leonardo DiCaprio deemed President George W. Bush’s environmental policies failures of epic proportions Wednesday in Madison, attracting a large — and mostly female — audience to the Orpheum Theater.

DiCaprio was joined by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, who did not mince words in declaring Bush the “worst environmental president in history.”

“This administration is playing fast and loose with your future in a way unlike any administration in our lifetime,” Blumenauer said.

To demonstrate his point, Blumenauer rolled out a 20-foot-long scroll listing numerous infringements Bush has made against the environment, such as pulling out of the Kyoto Treaty and weakening arsenic regulations. Blumenauer described the list as just the “tip of the iceberg” of Bush’s environmental infractions.

DiCaprio accused Bush of letting corporate polluters hold sway over the public’s interests, specifically in weakening smog and mercury regulations. Bush pays lip service to environmental causes, DiCaprio said, but hides a record of increasing carbon-dioxide emissions and rolling-back progress made under the Clean Water and Clean Air Acts.

“As much as I would like to talk about the multitude of issues that are affecting voters, there is one in particular that I have been paying close attention to, and that is the incredible erosion of our environmental policies under the Bush administration,” DiCaprio said.

The renowned actor promoted Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s willingness to end dependence on foreign oil and take steps to reduce acid rain.

DiCaprio’s visit is the second time in two weeks a Hollywood performer has visited downtown Madison. Actress Natalie Portman held a short rally for Kerry on campus Oct. 4.

Students for Bush vice chair Frank Hennick expressed concern with the lack of conservative voices to come to Madison, particularly among school-sanctioned events. Although DiCaprio spoke off-campus, Portman spoke at Chadbourne Residence Hall and liberal filmmaker Michael Moore will speak Saturday at the Memorial Union.

“It’s not terribly fair that the university has made no effort to bring a conservative speaker to the school,” Hennick said.

Students for Bush Chair Jessi Schober believes DiCaprio’s accusations are exaggerated, praising Bush for bringing a pragmatic approach to environmental issues.

“Bush looks at finding a way to help the economy and protect the environment at the same time,” Schober said, adding Bush has stressed wetlands preservation while in office. “For me what really separates Bush’s philosophies is that they are all interwoven, whereas Kerry’s ideas are very separate.”

But University of Wisconsin freshman Adriana Rosales said Bush’s poor environmental policies are evident, and thought DiCaprio’s message may serve to motivate like-minded students.

“Oil is so important to [Bush], and he wants to go to Alaska, but there’s animals there,” Rosales said in the Orpheum lobby. “With [DiCaprio] here, you realize there’s more to him than just acting and that he does have opinions … so that we as young adults also become involved.”