Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) has said Al Gore is “full of crap” and compared people who believe in global warming to “the Third Reich.” During today’s Senate hearing, Inhofe used a considerable amount of time to attack Gore’s use of carbon offsets and try to convince him to sign a sham “energy ethics pledge.” (Find the real facts on Gore’s energy usage HERE and HERE.)Inhofe asked Gore for his reaction, but then quickly cut him off saying Gore had taken up too much time. When Gore tried to go on, Inhofe repeatedly interrupted, adding, “I don’t want to be rude, but from now on, I’m going to ask you to respond…in writing.” Inhofe said Gore could respond verbally only if it was a “very brief response.”
Committee chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-CA) finally intervened. “Would you agree to let the Vice President answer your questions?” Inhofe said Gore could respond when he was done talking, but Boxer wouldn’t have it: “No, that isn’t the rule. You’re not making the rules. You used to when you did this. Elections have consequences. So I make the rules.” The hearing audience applauded loudly.
Watch the video over at ThinkProgress. Watch Sen. Warner's face when Boxer lays the law down. Brilliant.
UPDATE: I beat up on NRO's Corener kids often enough that I should also give them credit when it is due. J-Pod:
My fellow conservatives are going crazy with this clip of California's Democratic Senator, Barbara Boxer, having a tussle with Oklahoma's Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe. The thing is that Inhofe was behaving boorishly toward Gore during his questioning. He'd ask questions, Gore would answer them and then Inhofe would whine that Gore was eating up Inhofe's time. It was very discomfiting, and Boxer was in the right to bust him on it. If a Republican had ever done the same, we would have cheered it. Senators and congressmen get the idea that it's okay for them to act like bullies because some people in their home state cast votes for them, but it isn't, and it doesn't matter what party they belong to. Message to Inhofe: It's inappropriate behavior to ask a witness, even Al Gore, a question that contains an insult and then ask for the answer in writing so you can go on to your next, also presumably insulting, question.
But OK, I can't resist. Its nice to see he has come around, but... where was he the last 6 years when Inhofe was acting the fool? The only thing new about this is that someone finally told him to shut the hell up. Boxer couldn't do that before now, but J-Pod could have. And yet until now, silence. Acting when it is easy to do so only earns you so much credit.
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