After this winter, MORE global warming!

Does anyone remember when Congressional term limits were a big topic of debate? George Will pontificated on the subject, some Reps and Senators took "oaths" to only serve two or three terms, stuff like that. Then the Republicans swept the House and Senate in 1994 - thus demonstrating that seats can be overturned when the public demands it - and the issue dropped off the radar screen.

So here's my prediction: after this long, bitter, miserable, cold, snow-choked winter, nobody is going to want to talk about global warming. NASA recently put a report noting that the temperature drop in the Eastern United States is an anomaly and, on average, the rest of the world is still showing an overall warming trend ("Where Did Global Warming Go?"). True or not, nobody - at least nobody here in New England - is going to give a damn. The vilification of the SUV is going to be supplanted by a thousand anecdotes about how the 4-wheel drive gas guzzlers helped doctors/firemen/policemen/electrical linemen/nurses get to work while everyone else was stranded. As the heating oil bills accumulate, nobody will propose a carbon tax and maybe there will be a little more support for exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. It's going to take a lot of hot summer days before the Kyoto Krowd gets people to notice global warming again.