Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the new chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, is holding his first hearing today on the Bush administration's politicization of the issues of climate change and science.  Witnesses include Dr. Drew Shindell of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies; Mr. Rick Plitz, a former Senior Associate for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program; Dr. Francesca Griffo, the Senior Scientist and Director of the Scientific Inquiry Program of the Union of Concerned Scientists; and Dr. Roger Pielke, a Professor in the University of Colorado's Environmental Studies Program and a Fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences.

The hearing is being aired on C-SPAN as we speak.  I urge everyone who is able to watch and help me provide updates.

This is my first diary. It involves something that may seem minor but could be a portention of things to come.  Carrie Budoff of the newly right-wing owned Philadelphia Inquirer wrote this article, which appeared two days ago.

Santorum stymied as Casey idles in lead
Carrie Budoff INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Sen. Rick Santorum always pointed to the end, to the campaign's final weeks, when he would be poised for another one of his comeback victories.
That time has arrived, and little seems to be moving voters.
Not the questions about Democrat Bob Casey Jr.'s ethics, or the commercials aimed at smoothing Santorum's harder edges. Not the attempts to debate 10 times.

Excuse me?  Questions about Bob Casey's ethics?  Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only time that I can recall Casey's ethics being called into question was when Santorum put out an uber-sleazy ad tying four corrupt officials to the Casey campaign, despite the fact that none had contributed to Casey, two had contributed to Santorum, and one was dead.  But Budoff frames the issue in a way that makes Casey seem shady.