And the breathless promotion of free trade embedded in Rubinomics looks increasingly foolish -- among its unhappy effects has been the shifting of greenhouse-gas emissions from here to China, where King Coal reigns

The problem isn't that we trade with China. The problem is that we have no climate policy to speak of that takes into account carbon leakage -- and that thus far, we have been entirely ineffectual at negotiating internationally with China and others. Stopping free trade in order to deal with the climate problem would be using a sledgehammer where a scalpel is needed, would exacerbate the financial crisis, and would undermine public support for our climate program in general.

Stopping climate change will require money, which in turn will require us to put our financial house in order. I kind of hate Larry Summers, too (for feminist reasons, mostly), but I do recognize that he's one of the best in the financial business. You can hire an adviser without necessarily agreeing with everything he says.  So far, I think it's been made fairly clear where Obama stands on climate change, and I don't think Obama's appointment of Summers necessarily indicates anything to the contrary.

A "liberal nun" shilling for Mammon? Oh, my sainted Catholic mother is spinning in her grave. Oh, wait, she donated her ALS-ravaged body to St. Louis University. He's "one of the best in the financial business"? Did you not get the memo about how he's one of the pushers who brought this mess down upon us? Take your blinders off, Sister, they make you look foolish.

The mellotron is your friend.

I'm not "shilling" for anyone. (Was "hate" not a strong enough word for you?) I'm just pointing out that while he, along with the Clinton administration and the Democratic Congress, supported policies that were in retrospect a mistake, he has a lot of experience and is widely regarded to be very good at what he does. And while I don't like him and wish Obama could have found someone else, I can't really blame the president for hiring him. And my broader point is that Summers's appointment doesn't necessarily say anything about Obama's commitment to climate change. That's what I hope, anyway.