I know weather is not climate, but I couldn't help enjoying the irony that President Obama had to leave the Copenhagen conference early, before any agreement was reached, because of a snowstorm in Washington D.C.  This after a blizzard dumped snow all over Copenhagen just as the speeches about global warming began.  The agreement which was finally announced is about as watered down and ambiguous as you might expect; a statement of intent rather than a plan of action.  The conference crashed under its own ponderous weight, and as ESR notes "the glum tone of the report is palpable".

Perhaps global warming really is a problem, perhaps the actions of men have exacerbated it, and perhaps there are more things we should do to preserve the ozone layer and otherwise avoid affecting the Earth's natural balance.  At this point I'm conflicted and honestly don't know.  What I do know is that "global warming" is a political industry, and that conferences like Copenhagen are absurd theater rather than serious efforts to solve problems.  Imagine inviting Robert Mugabe, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Hugo Chavez to speak, as if they knew anything at all about it.

Anyway I'm glad our President made it back, and I wish him a Merry Christmas, hunkered down in the snow.

[Update: apparently they are having record snowfalls in the capital.  Heh.]

[Update 2: just saw the latest New Yorker cover.  Perfect.  As the veil slips ever further, the MSM pendulum is swinging back to center.  This balances cheer and irony perfectly, very New Yorker -ish :) ]