One of the many stories I missed today: Sen. James Inhofe, in a characteristically petty display of foot-stomping, is blocking Al Gore’s efforts to have one of his Live Earth concerts on the Capitol steps. Inhofe says it’s partisan. Guess it is now.

Some good quotes:

Noting that many political events — including the 1990 Earth Day celebration — have been held on the Capitol steps, [Republican Sen. Olympia] Snowe was, her spokesman said, “genuinely disappointed” by objections from her fellow Republicans. “She thinks it’s a very unfortunate message to send that somehow this country is languishing behind in the desire to combat carbon emissions,” said communications director David Snepp.

Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) was aghast.

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“Not since former Interior Secretary James Watt tried to ban the Beach Boys from appearing on the National Mall has such a misguided effort at political censorship been undertaken by a Republican official,” Markey said. “It’s dangerous enough to deny science; it’s sheer lunacy to deny song.”

As for the most appropriate headline — for that we turn to Kevin Drum.

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