I found Al Gore's opening testimony--which I just watched--deeply stirring. Whenever I hear the guy talk, my feeling is always the same: He exudes intelligence. By contrast, I found the behavior of Rep. Joe Barton--constantly raising petty parliamentary objections, quibbling over whether Gore's actual presentation did or didn't match his written testimony closely enough, and then trying to fight over the science once again--to be small indeed. But the question is, when it comes to Gore, do other Americans share my perceptions? They may well not. Matt Nisbet suggests that reactions to the global warming issue (and, I expect, to Gore) break down along partisan lines. That's dismaying...but unfortunately, it's something to bear in mind as we watch the responses come in to Gore's testimony today.
UPDATE: Gore's powerful testimony is already up on YouTube, see below:
P.S.: DarkSyde at Kos kindly links this post...so, welcome Daily Kos readers. If you're interested in my take on one of the issues that came up at the Gore hearing where I've done the most work lately, and where I thought Gore fended off Joe Barton very nicely--namely, the relationship between hurricanes and global warming--then I'd also encourage you to check out Storm World, due out in July.
P.P.S.: Maybe I heard incorrectly, but I am pretty sure that at the end of the hearing the chair, John Dingell, referred to Gore as "Mr. President," rather than "Mr. Vice President"...
