NYT Whines About No Global Warming Debate Questions Despite ABC Poll

When it comes to news, much as comedy, timing is everything -- and it's clear the good folks at the New York Times don't have it.

On Saturday, the Times published an op-ed by graphics director Charles M. Blow carping and whining about the now infamous Democrat presidential debate broadcast on ABC Wednesday, and, in particular, that no time was spent talking about climate change.

Well, Charles, maybe that's because in an ABC poll that was embargoed until 11:35 PM Thursday, exactly ZERO respondents felt global warming was the single most important issue in their choice for president.

Zero!

Alas, that didn't prevent Blow from blowing his top concerning the matter (emphasis added, h/t Chris Horner):

The League of Conservation Voters, an environmental watchdog group, reports that in the debates in which five Sunday-morning television anchors — George Stephanopoulos, Tim Russert, Wolf Blitzer, Chris Wallace and Bob Schieffer — have participated (17 in total) and in their major interviews with the candidates (176 in total) only eight of the 2,372 questions asked have mentioned global warming or climate change.

That omission is baffling because the environment has become a big issue for Americans. Nearly 6 in 10 people responding to a Pew Research Center poll in January said that protecting the environment and dealing with energy problems should be top priorities.

Well, but as the Competitive Enterprise Institute's Myron Ebell wrote me concerning this matter (with permission):

The 6 in 10 Pew poll result cited as evidence is nearly all based on worries over high gas prices. Count me as among the 6.

Me, too. But I digress:

Apparently, the moderators didn’t get the message. Instead they revived a more trivial issue, allowing a question that called Mr. Obama’s patriotism into question for not wearing a flag pin on his lapel. Better to have tied patriotism to the environment and ask whose global warming plan will best ensure that no one will ever have to go to Lower Manhattan and point to the spot in the water where ground zero used to be.

Ummm, maybe they DID get the message, Charles -- from their OWN POLLING!!!

Instead, it is clearly YOU that didn't get the message publishing this piece on Saturday DESPITE what ABC revealed Thursday evening.

As CEI's Chris Horner wrote me:

I wonder if this guy is able to feel silly. If so, now's a good time.

Hehehe.