More Evidence That Senator Craig Is Turning Into a Closet Democrat

My wife and I were concerned that Craig apparently was buying the Anthropogenic Global Warming arguments, and wrote him a letter about it--emphasizing that the science is this is still up in the air concerning how much if any is the result of man's actions. The response we received is something that a Democrat--a moderate Democrat, of course--might write:

I have always felt that energy security, our competitiveness as a nation, and environmental protection can and should go hand in hand. At this point in time there are a majority of Senators, including myself, who agree that the globe is warming and that reducing greenhouse gasses is a prudent course of action.

What the majority of Senators do not agree on is the path forward that will curb the amount of greenhouse gases that we produce without jeopardizing our quality of life. I am one who has spent more time than most over the past decade trying to understand the science as well as the policy of climate change. I believe that prudent actions need not be punitive actions. I have continually supported incentives to bring new cleaner technologies to market, while also incentivizing existing clean energy technologies such as hydropower, nuclear energy, efficiency improvements, clean coal, and all forms of renewable power.

I have also been a staunch opponent of regulations that seek to cap our economy and disadvantage this country globally. This has been the clearest lesson of Kyoto: other countries are not going to turn their lights out and stop growing - and neither will we. I believe that priorities should continue to be to re-license our existing hydroelectric and nuclear power plants, and at the same time we need to look to the future and provide incentives for the next generation of nuclear plants and bio-fuel technologies such as cellulosic ethanol.

The United States is not standing idly by in the climate change debate; on the contrary, we lead the world in dollars spent on research and on clean technology development. The United States has committed billions of dollars to mobilize the science and technology community to enhance research and development efforts that will better inform climate change policy decisions. Indeed, the Bush Administration has initiated a Climate Change Science Program Strategic Plan that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has reviewed and endorsed. Moreover, the United States is engaged in extensive international efforts on climate change, both through multilateral and bilateral activities. The United States provides $5.9 billion for activities under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which was the largest contribution of any member nation in 2006.

For too long the climate change debate has been fixated on assigning blame instead of looking at real solutions. I remain committed to providing real solutions for making our nation's energy supply more secure, more competitive, and cleaner than it has ever been before. Again, thank you for contacting me with your thoughts on climate change. If there is anything further I can do for you in the future please do not hesitate to contact me.

In short, Senator Craig won't admit that there's some very serious questions about the accuracy of these AGW claims, and just wants to make sure that the damage that gets done to us won't be too severe.

What is it about spending time in the District of Criminals that does this to our elected representatives?