Inside the Beltway

SLIME-ATE GATE

Heavens. A British “Climategate” scientist insults an American critic on live television and now half the known universe knows, thanks to YouTube. Indeed, University of East Anglia climate professor Andrew Watson called ClimateDepot.com writer Marc Morano something rude that begins with the letter “a” as the pair sparred during a BBC news show.

Mr. Watson is among those British scientists whose errant e-mails spawned Climategate. Mr. Morano - a detail guy with considerable inner mettle - did not abandon his civility, nor did he respond by calling Mr. Watson a name that begins with “a” - or even “b.” Hey, Mr. Morano maintained a nice, clean environment.

“The poor professor was beside himself attempting to spin away one of the greatest scientific scandals of our age,” Mr. Morano tells Inside the Beltway. “Watson seemed unable to fathom that a civilian would question his self-serving defense of the global warming establishment.”

He adds, “But Watson’s claim that Climategate is much ado about nothing is by far the most offensive thing he said during the debate.”

See the moment in question right here: www.youtube. com/watch?v=Y8WDcQon9DY. The two-minute clip contains a single A-word. But it speaks volumes.

WHAT’S OUT THERE

Let the dot-connecting begin:

“Climategate controversy has echoes of Watergate” - the Times of London

“Were Russian security services behind the leak of ‘Climategate’ emails?” the Daily Mail of London

“An investigation by The Mail on Sunday has discovered that the explosive hacked emails from the University of East Anglia were leaked via a small Web server in the formerly closed city of Tomsk in Siberia. …

“Russia - one of the world’s largest producers and users of oil and gas - has a vested interest in opposing sweeping new agreements to cut emissions, which will be discussed by world leaders in Copenhagen tomorrow,” the newspaper said.

“Russia believes current rules are stacked against it, and has threatened to pull the plug on Copenhagen without concessions to Kremlin concerns.”

OVERLOOKED

In all the noise over Sarah Palin’s visit to the Gridiron Club and her book tour comes this telling little Tweet from the former Alaska governor, sent from her phone on Sunday:

Story Continues →