It’s a miss:

The most obvious lesson to be learned from the US Senate’s failure to mount any sort of grown-up debate on climate change last week is that the country needs a new occupant in the White House. By that we mean a president who not only understands and cares deeply about the issue — which both Senators Barack Obama and John McCain say they do, and which President Bush clearly does not — but who is also willing to invest the time and the political capital necessary to push good legislation through Congress. The bill that died in the Senate sought to reduce American emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by nearly 70% by 2050, short of what most climate scientists believe is necessary but an important first step.

The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, trumpeted climate change as “the most important issue facing the world today.” Yet after three-and-one-half days of unhelpful partisan sniping, the Democratic leadership pulled the bill from the floor when only 48 senators voted to prevent a threatened Republican filibuster.

No one ever said that dealing with climate change would be easy or cost-free. But we expected better from the Senate. We hope the next president will have the necessary

conviction and stamina — and a real sense of urgency. Too much time has been wasted. — International Herald Tribune