Harry Reid: Global warming to blame for Southern California wildfires

You knew it had to happen. Someone, somehow, somewhere was going to take the opportunity to blame the wildfires raging in Southern California on global warming. Sure enough, Senate Majority Leader stepped up to the plate. Duane Patterson at Hugh Hewitt’s blog writes:

After a closed door policy meeting with other Senate Democrats, Majority Leader and utter buffoon Hary Reid of Nevada took to the microphones just outside the floor of the United States Senate, and fielded questions.

In response to a question on the energy bill, Reid said the following:

“As you know, one reason that we have the fires burning in Southern California is global warming. One reason the Colorado Basin is going dry is because of global warming.”

Six questions later, a reporter followed up on Reid’s amazing statement.

Question: Senator, on the California fires, you said that the reason the fires are burning in California is global warming?

Reid: No. Here’s what I – I didn’t say the reason the fires were burning in Southern California was global warming…

First, Reid is an idiot because tried to use global warming as a prop in a current news story in order to advance his energy bill agenda. When called on it, he denied he said it. It’s on tape. You can listen to it here.

In other words, Reid is pulling a John Kerry: He said it before he claimed he didn’t say it.

Never underestimate the ability of a Democrat to demagogue a tragedy for political purposes.

The obvious question (to me) anyway is: What are Reid’s credentials to be confidently asserting that the Southern California wildfires are a product of global warming? Has he been out there and conducted his own little investigation? I mean, haven’t we been told countless times by global warming alarmists that people who aren’t scientists, meteorologists, climatologists, and the like shouldn’t be weighing in on the global warming debate? Well, that is unless your name is Al Gore, of course, and then you’re allowed to spout off all the unprovable nonsense you want to about the impending “doom” we will face if we don’t deal with this “urgent crisis” now, in spite of the fact that Gore is not an expert in his chosen “field” and in fact, if I’m not mistaken, the best he could do in college on environmental-related courses was a “C.” Let’s remember that Reid himself is no gw expert either, as he has a law degree, not any degree in a science-affiliated field.

Where’s the outrage over Reid’s premature, uneducated diagnosis of the situation in San Diego and the surrounding areas?

Oh, and remember all the heat the President took over not visiting the Katrina-ravaged areas of the Gulf Coast in a timely manner? Well, now he’s being criticized for “distracting” from the effort to contain the fires and evacuate residents. Unfreakingreal.

Memeorandum has much more on this developing story.

Hat tip: Betsy Newmark

Update: ST reader Rovin lives in the area and files this report, which includes photos and a verbal smackdown of another Democrat Senator who is trying to play political games with the wildfires: Barbara Boxer.

Take care, Rovin, and please check in when you can so we’ll know you’re ok.

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