Democrats Can Clean Up

Who do we have to thank for this headline?.... "Energy Firms Come to Terms With Climate Change."

Not Corporate-Buddy Bush and Oily Dick.

One person to whom we owe a great debt of gratitude is former Vice President Al Gore. He's been tirelessly tolling the alarm bells of global warming, trying without success to motivate the Bush administration and the GOP-controlled Congress to action.... even produced a top-notch movie, "An Inconvenient Truth" about this looming threat.

Now there's a new game in town.... the Democratic takeover, by a slim margin, of both Houses.

So, "....top executives at many of the nation's largest energy companies have accepted the scientific consensus about climate change and see federal regulation to cut greenhouse gas emissions as inevitable..."

You can bet your sooty smokestack on that!

The energy companies have been shameless in their efforts to mislead the public, even admitting... "Exxon Mobil Corp., the highest-profile corporate skeptic about global warming, said in September that is was considering ending its funding of a think tank that has sought to cast doubts on climate change." Maybe they remembered that they, and their children, have to live in this world too. Or, more likely, they realize that their lame-duck protectors will soon be history.

Still, George and Dick aren't going to give up their shtick... "the Bush administration's expected opposition might make the enactment of legislation unlikely in the next two years..."

It doesn't have to be this way.

As the last election shows, the roar of outraged voters can be heard even by The Decider.

When the Democratic leaders take over key committees on Capitol Hill, such as the Environment and Public Works headed by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA).... who calls global warming "the greatest challenge of our generation".... the public can let the Bush administration know they don't want to "stay the course" on their current corporate-favoring disastrous environmental policies.

When effective climate-change legislation comes forward, would Bush then dare wield his veto pen....