Much has been made in recent weeks of Sen. James Inhofe’s increasingly unhinged statements on global warming. He’s hired a long-time movement hack, Marc Morano, to attack journalists and scientists that attempt to tell the truth about global warming (without falsehoods as "balance"). Now Inhofe’s out calling Al Gore "full of crap," claiming the IPCC was based on "one scientist," and saying recent science has shown global warming to be a "hoax."
Why would a prominent U.S. Senator be out telling such flagrant lies — lies even the White House and most far-right commentators have distanced themselves from?
Is he just a loon?
No, Inhofe’s affliction is much more pedestrian. Here’s all you need to know about why he says what he says:
The top industries supporting James M. Inhofe are:
1 Oil & Gas $311,208 2 Electric Utilities $180,907 3 Retired $145,771 4 General Contractors $116,611 5 Leadership PACs $100,347 6 Lobbyists $99,741 7 Lawyers/Law Firms $95,372 8 Commercial Banks $79,925 9 Health Professionals $77,550 10 Building Materials & Equipment $75,267 11 Air Transport $75,069 12 Insurance $72,171 13 Automotive $63,250 14 Misc Finance $61,500 15 Defense Aerospace $60,500 16 Real Estate $58,555 17 Business Services $53,766 18 Mining $52,600 19 Pro-Israel $49,300 20 Chemical & Related Manufacturing $47,010
