"but notes that it postpones the heavy lifting until 2030." I think he means "heavy launching," because by then Detroit will necessarily have to switch from gas guzzling trucks and SUVs to boats.

Nobody seems to get it. We have to change our ways. Not just to stay vibrant as a nation, but because fossil fuel depletion and global warming will destroy our civilization if we don't start getting serious.

I've been following this closely, and I'm for Waxman (I've written my Congressman to let him know).

To be sure, Dingell's adoption of Hannity/Limbaugh rhetoric (i.e. "left wing Democrat") doesn't help his cause.

Lobbyists aren't going away and money still talks on Capitol Hill. Dingell is throwing his lot with the business as usual crowd and about the only thing that can likely be done is to remember it for now and work for change and remind people in the future what is happening now.

I guess my point is that there hasn't been any magical transformation in Washington as much as we all want one and it is going to take a long time, much more than four or eight years, to fix the current political culture. The admin-elect will at best only be able to make small changes and to push for too much could easily make things worse.

That being said, I agree, 20 years is way too long to do anything about climate change. That needs to be pushed now.

Progressive Dems will fall on the issue of Global Warming and damage fees.

Notice how quiet it is on the global warming front? The silence is the post election honeymoon, but progressive Dems know they are in an internal conflict over the issue.

Wait until the first county government goes to see Waxman for emission slips, and watch the outrage among the environmental side of the progressives. Subsidies for CO2 emission and penalties for CO2 emission are required to fit into the same political box and they are opposites, as a simple language analysis shows.

This is the kind of the thing that will undermine what we believe to be Obama's goals at this point.

Dingall and Levin are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Big Three auto makers, all three of which will go out of business in the next six months to a year without huge "loans" from the government. It's a horrible situation - the proverbial damned if you do . . .

The auto industry has been in denial for about 30 years now, actually back sliding the last fifteen or so in efforts to assure it's continued existence. But letting them collapse would probably throw 100,000 people out of work. A bit too much of Schumpeter's "creative destruction" and a sure fire way of making our recession into a depression.

It's a horrible situation - the proverbial damned if you do . . .

Only if you look at it as a binary choice between handouts without substantive conditions or doing nothing.

Which it only gets painted as to make sure that the former is chosen.

I've wanted to say this for some time: The Blue Dog in the famous Rodrigue painting which inspired the conservative Democratic delegation's name, is old, arthritic, blind and probably deaf as well. I know because I've got a dog in the same shape, who looks and acts like the Blue Dog. He's a damn good dog and I'm hangin' on to him, but I don't plan on running him for Congress.

That the conservative Dems would take as their model a creature who is devoid of nearly everything that might make them qualified to interact with society on an informed basis says a lot about their judgment and basic intelligence. But, of course, they appeal to voters just like themselves; BD for Congress, McCain/Palin for Prez. Doesn't mean we should pay attention to them, let alone elect them to leadership posts. We'll address global warming in 2030? Newt must be proud.

Dingell, michigan and the big three are in denial...they've had since 1973 to change their ways and they haven't budged a bit....

kick dingell to the curb...or buy him an electric car and tell him to stfu....

So the Dingellsaurus (1926 - ???) thinks we should start working hard on climate change when he turns 104?

Dingell sucks and our kids will not believe that he kept power if that's what happens.

The guy is a dinosaur, and needs to step aside, or be pushed aside. NOW. We have serious problems to solve, and dinosaurs like him will occasionally have to be shoved aside.

Nobody seems to get it. We have to change our ways. Not just to stay vibrant as a nation, but because fossil fuel depletion and global warming will destroy our civilization if we don't start getting serious.

Dingell's long-standing support of the auto industry has enabled them to shoot both feet full of holes. I hope he has the decency to publicly admit that his resistance to increased fuel efficiency standards, among other changes, has helped bring GM and Ford to the brink of disaster.

I'm a Waxman constituent, and if he provides the kind of effort he's been giving in government oversight the past 8 years, we will be in very good shape. He diligently carried the torch on the minority commission through some very dark years.

I haven't fully researched his views on energy, but I know he thoroughly researches his issues and will deliver a winning strategy within whatever time frame is required.

My $.02.

I'm a big Waxman fan, and even corresponded with him at one time when I was the spokesperson for a non-profit child abuse prevention organization in S.F. regarding legislation the impacted children and families. On the other hand, Dingell has a very good record in the Senate and is considered a liberal. His blind spot is the auto industry, and he has conflicts of interest with this, politically, financially and with this family.

Sorry, I meant to include this link to info about Dingell in my comment above.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dingell

Since when are Blue Dogs 'moderate'? I think after the results of this election they should be henceforth referred to as right-leaning. Their 'moderation' helped get us into the economic and foreign policy messes we now have to deal with.

I'm sure Dingell is a good guy, but it's embarrassing when reps or senators display their home state interests above party or common sense. It's like watching Lieberman support the war. I have to say I'm somewhat sympathetic, as one of my senators (Robert Byrd (D-WV) ) has also stepped aside for the cause of making progress. I hope Rep. Dingell can be persuaded of the importance of having the right leadership for Congress to assist our new President-elect Obama as we begin a truly new and important era.