As we mentioned earlier, Al Gore and his Alliance for Climate Protection are on a mission to lobby Congress to enact meaningful climate change legislation. But we seriously wonder whether their -- and our -- expectations might be just a tad high, given that lawmakers can't even agree on what kind of lights to use at the Capitol.

More proof that everything is partisan: Republicans are balking at a plan to replace the Capitol's 18-year-old lights with a more energy-efficient system because they say the cost of the project is not worth the energy savings. They also question why the $671,000 contract was given to a company from the House Administration Committee chairman's district.

"Everyone supports making the Capitol more energy efficient, but we don't have to waste taxpayer dollars to do it," said House Minority Leader John Boehner. So does that mean you're offering to install the lights yourself, Mr. Congressman, or are you just waiting for a company to offer their services free of charge?

The lighting system project is part of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's "Green the Capitol" initiative, which includes using more recycled paper, distributing more documents electronically and purchasing carbon offsets. We eagerly await the Republican response to this "recycling" idea.