Daily Briefing - 12/11/06

In some good news, the UN released a report that says human impact may not have as drastic affect on global warming than originally thought. The report states that humans do still have a serious impact on climate change. In less opaque good news, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), 2008 Presidential candidate stated yesterday that global warming and energy independence are his two top priorities. Here is hoping that the rest of the field, democrat and republican, follow suit.

In Washington, Congress welcomes back the prominent figure in "freezer-gate," Rep. William Jefferson. Maybe that's why the Democrats are focusing on the "youth" in their party. Meanwhile, the GOP leaves with a whimper... and with some namecalling... blah blah blah. The '08ers are "working" furiously... hitting NH, GOP infighting, and finding policy niches.

In other news, a not-so-good man dies in Chile. The NYT editorial board scolds the Bush Administration for muzzling scientists. Oh come on, you crazy liberals! Muzzling scientists?? That's nowhere near the worst thing they've done!

Finally, the liberal blogs are lamenting the win by Jefferson. The conservative blogs have gained a large player in Tom DeLay. And truthiness is Merriam-Webster's word of 2006! All that and more in the briefing.

MW

-------------------------------
Daily Briefing – 12/11/06
693 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- The Guardian: Beyond Words
- UN downgrades human impact on climate change
o Sen. Inhofe must be ecstatic
- ’08 hopeful says global warming and energy independence are top priorities
o Also from Indianapolis Star
- Climate fight goes national as Sen. Boxer plans action on emissions
- Hitting world’s big miners
- Australian government not dealing with warming quickly enough
- End of the ostrich era
- Pittsburgh Tribune Review: Blowing cold air on global warming
- Promoting nuclear power
- John Birch Society: Global warming cash cow
- My little global warming apocalypse
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Kofi Annan: What I’ve Learned
- “Cold Cash” Jefferson pulls out a win in LA-02 special election
- Seniority taking back seat to spirit
- Runoff in TX-23rd a tight race
- GOP laments mixed results as 109th comes to a close
o …And heaps scorn on its departing Senate leader
o While others merely left in a huff (Burns and Santorum) or with a joke (Chocola)
Potential ‘08ers…
- Obama (taking first steps in NH), Pataki (will decide in early ’07), Richardson (finding his niche), Brownback (the many conversions of), Romney (upsetting people on the right), Clinton (reaching out to the unions), Obama again (oh that crazy name), Edwards (hires an interesting aide), Bayh (global warming and energy independence are top priorities, yay!), Gingrich (returning to NH), Vilsack (fighting for support)
- Newsweek: The Shadow Boxing Begins
Other News from the Media
- Selling fuel efficiency the green way
- Has politics contaminated the food supply?
- Katrina begets a baby boom by immigrants
- Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet dies
- In Kansas, a line is drawn around a prairie dog town
- New York Times editorial: Muzzling Those Pesky Scientists
- House OKs bill to drill off of Florida and send royalties to four gulf states
…and the Blogosphere
- At MYDD they are mourning the LA-02 election and prepping for ‘08
- Tom DeLay has a blog now
- Huffington Post: An energy agenda for the new Congress
- From Grist:
o Biofuel skepticism
o On diamonds
- Ecorazzi: Celebs spreading the green on Oprah
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- A 2,100 year old computer? I bet it ran DOS
- “Truthiness” named word of the year by Merriam-Webster
- Maybe he could help with Iraq by having Bush and Maliki talk it out
- Study detects recent instance of human evolution
Quotes O’ the Day
An ode to the outgoing Congress, and most politicians – “A healthy male adult bore consumes each year one and a half times his own weight in other people's patience.” ~John Updike