As the House of Representatives girds to debate the Waxman-Markey energy and global warming bill, no one seems to be asking the most important question: Just what is it for? Any honest look at the bill would show that it cannot be about reducing global temperatures, so President Obama and Congressional Democrats must be putting so much effort into it for other reasons.

Why is the bill not about reducing global temperatures?  Because the United States, although it emits a lot of greenhouse gases, won’t be the main driver of emissions as the century goes on.  That role will fall to the developing world.  China, India, Indonesia, Brazil and a host of other large developing countries are developing, and that means they will need energy.  That energy will come from the most affordable source—fossil fuels.