More talk than listening on climate bill in Senate

Even for the Senate, where members are well-known to prefer talking to listening, the amount of unilateral jabbering on the climate bill has been remarkable, with lawmakers both for and against it arguing repeatedly over how much time was allotted for them to speak.

It was also hard to keep track of who was on which side. The bill’s main sponsors are Senators Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, John W. Warner, Republican of Virginia, and Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California.

Typically, the floor debate is divided evenly between the two parties, but there has been constant confusion about whose time was being used.

At one point Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, was struggling to get his turn. “It’s my understanding that I have 15 minutes at 12:15 which I have been waiting for all morning,” he said.

A short argument followed — involving Mr. Specter, Senator Pete V. Domenici, Republican of New Mexico, Mrs. Boxer and Senator Bob Corker, Republican of Tennessee — over who should speak and for how long. As they bickered, Senator Jon Tester, Democrat of Montana, who was serving as the president pro tempore, made an announcement: “The time of the senator from Tennessee, three and a half minutes, has expired.”

Mr. Domenici was perplexed. “How did his time expire?” he asked.

“Through this conversation,” Mr. Tester explained.

To help give everybody time on center-stage, the senators on Tuesday proposed delaying the weekly party lunches by 10 minutes. The majority leader, Senator Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, said that was all right, but he also urged senators to be back in time for their official portrait.
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Why am I not surprised? Why would I ever expect to see a reasoned intelligent debate on this from a Congress that acts like nothing but a bunch of vindictive prima donnas? This is why we will never get effective legislation from Washington Dc on climate change. Too many only wanting their 15 minutes of fame in front of the camera, and too many making this a politically partisan issue when it is not.

And my God, what ignorance comes out of Senator Inhofe's mouth. He is an embarrassment to the state of Oklahoma. I really tried to be positive that this could be debated in Congress with that higher consciousness, but it is not possible when consciousness in and of itself is not present. This is why we have to press and demand what this bill must look like in order to be acceptable and effective... but alas, I fear no matter what we say they will continue to do what they want, which is why those working outside the confines of the beltway have made more progress regarding this crisis. This just proves the point.

However, that doesn't mean we stop pushing for what is right. I still say on the whole that states, businesses, and individuals will do more to address this crisis effectively than any Congress in this political system, but we cannot relent in making these representatives see how they will be accomplices to the catastrophe unfolding unless they look beyond poltiics to see the big picture. Damn them for their total lack of moral courage and for making a mockery out of the most crucial crisis this planet now faces on a global scale.

I have a one sentence message to Congress:

THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU.