Perhaps because there has been no global warming for the last 16 years, Senate Democrats spent last night generating hot air in an all-night stunt. Democrats from safe seats  and those not up for re-election this year pulled an all-nighter talking about what they now call “climate change” -- because “global warming” turns out to be not-so-hot as a scare tactic any more.  

Their talkfest took the form of a filibuster, even though no legislation is being proposed, and if it were, they would not be trying to prevent a vote on it. In other words, this was all about symbolism, not substance. Fox News reports:

Despite that bravado, Democratic leaders made it clear they have no plans to bring a climate bill to the Senate floor this year. Indeed, the issue is so politically charged that a host of Democrats who face tough re-election fights in the fall opted to skip the session. Sens. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mark Begich of Alaska and Kay Hagan of North Carolina were among Democrats who stayed away. (snip)

Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said the climate debate, which had its own Twitter hashtag, #Up4Climate, had drawn interest from around the nation and the world. Democrats received two separate petitions urging them to act, with a total of about 100,000 signatures, Boxer said.

This is all a distraction, a stunt to eat up media attention instead of a focus on Obama’s disasters in the economy, foreign policy, Fast and Furious, and other scandals.