by the Way . . .

NYT: A study commissioned by the Bush administration concluded that the lower atmosphere was in fact growing warmer and that there was "clear evidence" that it was due to human influence. That eliminated the debate about whether things were actually heating up. However, White House officials made it clear that this was just the first of 21 assessments planned to address what it has called "unresolved questions". The officials said the administration remained focused on studying the remaining 20 questions and using voluntary means to slow the growth of heat trapping emissions.

A spokeswoman for the White House Council on Environmental Quality welcomed the report, and said it showed that President Bush's decision to focus $2 billion a year on climate monitoring and research was "working".