In the Pipeline: 12/13/11

We don’t usually include press releases in the pipeline, but this is too delicious.  I’m betting Senator Inhofe puts him on the canvas in the fifth, and the ref calls it somewhere around the eighth EPW (12/12/11) reports: Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, today accepted Ralph Nader’s invitation to debate Congressman Markey on global warming. ..”I would welcome the opportunity to debate the issue of global warming with Congressman Markey,” Senator Inhofe said.  “In fact, I would enjoy the company: since the failure of global warming alarmism and the complete collapse of the Kyoto process, the only one talking about global warming in Washington these days has been me.

Unstoppable force meets unmovable object; as in reason meets the NYT editorial board New York Times (12/13/11) reports: The Keystone XL oil pipeline has become the House Republicans’ weapon of choice in their fight with President Obama over jobs and taxes. Mr. Obama has said he will not make a decision on the pipeline until 2013. The Republicans are insisting that he approve it now and have attached an amendment to a bill extending the payroll tax cut in hopes of forcing his hand… This legislative booby trap seems unlikely to make it through the Senate, and the president has all but said he would reject it if it does. But this has not stopped the House Republicans, led by Speaker John Boehner, from using the pipeline as a political cudgel — or from wildly inflating its economic benefits.

There are three things worth paying attention to here.  First, there is more – a lot more – to come.  Second, Congressman Markey probably needs to be careful, because a lot of what his boy Jaczko has done and said is unconscionable.  Finally, when Bill Magwood decides he needs to send a letter to the White House outlining his concerns, you know it is bad.  Bill is one of the most careful guys in this town Politico (12/12/11) reports: House Democrat Ed Markey and Republican Darrell Issa weren’t backing down Monday afternoon in their feud over Gregory Jaczko’s leadership of the NRC…“I believe that the president has named the best chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in its history, in terms of his commitment to nuclear safety,” the Massachusetts Democrat told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell as he and Issa faced off in a joint interview.

Think about this the next time some halfwit starts droning on about how ill-informed and dopey the American people are.  Turns out they are really pretty smart and really do pay attention Politico (12/12/11) reports: Americans’ fear of big government – partly fueled by a sharp spike among Democrats since President Barack Obama took office – almost reached a record high this year and is far greater than people’s concerns about big business and big labor, a new Gallup poll Monday shows…An overwhelming 64 percent of people surveyed said big government was the biggest threat to the country, compared to just 26 percent who said big business is their gravest concern and 8 percent who picked big labor.

If you build it, the jobs will come The Hill (12/12/11) reports: The House is slated to vote Tuesday on GOP legislation that forces a quick federal decision on the proposed Keystone XL oil sands pipeline, a provision tucked into wider legislation with an extension of the payroll tax cut at its core…The measure requires a permit for the Alberta-to-Texas pipeline within 60 days unless the president decides the pipeline is not in the national interest and rejects it…The House vote is the next phase in a political battle with the White House over Keystone, a project that the administration has delayed a decision on until 2013…President Obama said last week that he would reject legislation to extend the payroll tax cut — a top White House priority — if it included the Keystone provision or other “extraneous” measures.