Whoo-hoo! This speech comes as manna to the ears of those of us who have been pushing radical change in energy policy for years. (Jon, Gar and Ken come to mind, in particular, for pushing the Grist debate in this direction.)

Who would have thought that a major figure would step out of the box to challenge othodoxy and "realism" to offer the only kind of change that matters? BIG! Who isn't flabbergasted with the boldness of Gore's plan? This is now the gold standard, and the bar has been forever raised. Can we now shake off the cynicism that says only modest incrementalism is the "wise" way to go?

Of course, the carbon lobby and the utilities will be furious and will be working overtime to sabotage this plan. Can we muster the political will and savy to defeat them?

Let's nitpick at the details of Gore's plan when they are available. But let's embrace the broad contours of this speech: unless we end the carbon addiction quickly, it's goodbye to the U.S. economy which could in turn forestall the possibility of global clean energy and an inhabitable biosphere.