Inhofe

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s prediction of a Republican sweep in the Senate races this year, as reported by the Associated Press, is far-fetched, at least for now.

The Cook Political Report, for example, is only predicting a 5 to 7 gain for the GOP. There’s also the distinct possibility that moderate Republican voters will not support GOP Tea Party candidates, such as Alaska’s Joe Miller, in November.

But Inhofe has never let facts intrude on his political rhetoric.

Still, the most striking part of the AP story wasn’t Inhofe’s election prediction. It was this: Inhofe says he will run again for the Senate as long as he’s still healthy. Do the math. Inhofe’s term goes through 2014. Then add six years if he’s reelected. That gives the 75-year-old Inhofe approximately 10 more years to embarrass the state on a national and world level with his claims about the “hoax” of global warming and his ultra-conservative social agenda.

Ironically, Inhofe made his comments during what was described as a “chamber of commerce speech.” How can Inhofe’s stances be helpful to the state beyond the energy sector? Shouldn’t the chamber work towards diversifying the state’s economy? Doesn’t Inhofe’s political posturing hurt that effort?

The Oklahoman editorial page, which serves as chief, local cheerleader for U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe and his global-warming-is-a-hoax claim, published a commentary Saturday that essentially refuted people who draw on one season of extreme hot or cold weather to make a claim about climate change.

I wonder why the editorial writer(s) won’t apply this same criticism to Inhofe.

Here’s the important part of the key paragraph from the editorial (“Climate change fans are heating up,” July 31, 2010):

. . . Temperature readings in Washington, Moscow or anywhere on a given day, week, month or year are a tiny blip compared with the span of a century or several millennia — truer increments in a climate discussion.

That’s true enough, and something scientists believe, but where was The Oklahoman when Inhofe’s family built a faux igloo in Washington, D.C. last winter that mocked Al Gore. I don’t remember any criticism from The Oklahoman then, though the political prank made the news, and all those very funny right-wingers had a good laugh or two at Gore’s expense.

The newspaper opposes any legislation that might reduce carbon emissions, and sings Inhofe’s praises whenever it can. It doesn’t matter that Inhofe has made silly, unsubstantiated claims about climate change and continues to sully the state’s image with his conspiracy theories.

Inhofe has called global warming the "greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people," and he has compared people who believe in climate change to Nazis. His family mocks Al Gore. The newspaper refuses to hold him accountable.

The point is The Oklahoman editorial page writers only hold people who they perceive to be liberals accountable to any sense of logic. The newspaper engages in rhetorical deceit by twisting and conflating arguments to push its extreme positions because these positions fail on their own merits.

When will The Oklahoman editorial page start providing a balance to its extremism? This state would be a better place to live if its largest newspaper would act responsibly and provide editorial balance.