Dingell: Climate legislation 'impossible' this year

[bananas]

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/1/18/152810/450

Dingell: Climate legislation 'impossible' this year
By David Roberts

John Dingell says getting climate legislation done this year will "verge on impossible" (sub rqd), what with the compressed schedule and the presidential and Congressional elections.

Oh, and also because Republicans are gearing up to block progress yet again.

A while back, Denny Hastert left Dingell's committee and there was some inside baseball speculation about who would take his place. The answer turned out to be Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), and he wasted no time making his feelings clear (sub rqd), unleashing this torrent of talking points:

<blah blah blah>

[Captain Hilts]

1. Said the man from Detroit.... nt

[Kolesar]

3. Dems need a primary opponent against Dingell

Then again, we did get an "auto efficiency" bill passed last year so maybe he does not matter.

[ixion]

2. yeah, but they can always find the time to destroy the Bill of Rights or send Haliburton

a few billion.

These bastards make me :puke:

[depakid]

4. Ironically, he's NOT been helping his "constituents"

but rather leading them down the path to bankruptcy... and padding his pockets in the process.