Occasionally, however, one yearns for one's leaders to act as if they're, well, leading. I'm a Californian, so I long ago modified my expectations of Sen. Boxer. She's not good for much other than running around in circles and hysterically proclaiming "Retreating glaciers: BAD, retreating army: GOOD!" I've grown even more weary of the climate commies ever since Al Gore told congress that "The planet has a fever," a few months ago. The rhetoric is so hysterically inane now that I fully expect Sen. Boxer to see a melting glacier (she's not visiting any of the ones that are advancing), emotionally embrace a camera and say, "Look, it's crying."
American leadership seems to have broken into two camps: those who worry about terrorists and those who worry about weather. Unfortunately, the poll-tested, sound byte world we live in has left us with a dysfunctional group of politicians who worry more about the next TV appearance than the fate of the free world. Both sides have been dropping the ball when dealing with weighty issues. Can't really engage our intellects to battle the problems of the world when Chris Matthews' make-up people are waiting, can we?
As for deciding which issues are weighty, I think I like my risk assessment capabilities. I see a globally active group of zealots who have stated that they would like to kill us all and I see a dripping glacier. It doesn't take me long to figure out which one scares me more.
I'll be all for the Kyoto Treaty when it includes a drastic reduction in al Qaeda emissions.
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