An Inconvenient Spokesperson

Let me chime in with the rest of this 'blog. Go see "An Inconvenient Truth." Go see it. Go see it. Kidnap every teenager, voter, dog, cat and pet hamster you know and make them see it. Davis Guggenheim and Al Gore did a fantastic job of making a wonky and intimidating subject accessible and engaging. They're the Steve Jobs of Climate Change.

But the headline to Donnie Fowler's recent post ("Go See "An Inconvenient Truth" Because Bush Won't") sums up my one gripe: they cast (so to speak) Al Gore in the lead. Don't get me wrong. I voted for Gore. And, yes, he's excellent in this role and more approachable than we've ever seen him. And I know first hand that he's genuinely dedicated to this issue - he came and spoke to my freshman science class back in '89 on the same subject, with the same passion and depth of understanding. But the people who need to see this movie won't - in part because it's Al Gore. Until Republicans move to Mars and leave Earth to the Democrats, Climate Change only suffers if it's a Democratic issue. We (planet We, that is) need to de-politicize Climate Change. Or at least cross-politicize it. It's hard to watch this movie without suspecting a Trojan Horse for '08 - and Climate Change doesn't need more suspicion. Maybe the best we can hope is that this movie's popularity spurs the Republican party to rally behind the issue, as McCain has. So who should play the hero in "A.I.T. II"? Rick Warren? Warren Buffet? Dale Earnhart, Jr.?