We used to be the leader of the world...

 Tamino really sums it up

We used to be the leader of the world, we gave hope to people everywhere. Now we’re the albatross, the burden, the problem. If you ask a Republican presidential candidate what to do about climate change, the best answer you could hope for is to burn more natural gas — switch from one carbon-based fuel to another. With that attitude, in the presidency or in congress, we won’t just remain the problem child of the world, we’ll get worse.

The Republican base is so immersed in science denial that simply acknowledging reality is disqualifying.  They speak of America as the greatest power in the world, and the leader of the free world, yet we are not even close.  It would be a vast improvement if we were just a follower.  Instead, we're the anchor - holding back world progress on one of our greatest global challenges.

I had a conversation several years ago with a science-denying colleague who commented that he was ever thankful that we dropped out of the Kyoto agreement, because it ultimately did nothing, and if we had held up our part of the bargain our economy would have suffered.  Might it have been different if we had led the way - as a leader is supposed to do - instead of hiding in fear and preserving the status quo?