Sunday, February 14, 2010

Is Open Source Software Really More Secure? A Case Study

At Black Hat 2009 the brilliant Moxie Marlinspike presented More Tricks For Defeating SSL. The briefing exposed the ineffectual handling of X.509 certificates that are used to secure electronic commerce on the Internet. Put simply, these certs are intended to prove the authenticity of a secure domain (say, PayPal, your bank or brokerage firm) so that a browser can validate it's talking to the real domain over a secure connection.

Marlinspike points out that the X.509 standard is really a collection of inconsistent hackery based upon an obscure protocol (ASN.1) with shaky construction and parsing between vendors.

The crux of the first attack: leverage one of the ASN.1 strings inside the certificate (ASN.1 uses a prefixed length value followed by the characters) by first prefixing an ASCIIZ (null-terminated) string. In this case, a PayPal ASCIIZ string is slapped in front of Moxie's domain. Amazingly enough, most SSL packages would treat this string as the real PayPal domain!

Every mainstream browser was susceptible to the attack and Marlinspike went on to demonstrate additional variations that suppressed certificate revocation (OCSP); hijacked Firefox's automatic software update feature; and provided a vector for remote code execution using the browser's flawed cert handling.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Marlinspike's vulnerabilities were revealed in July of 2009. How long did it take the two major browsers to remediate the findings?

• It took The Mozilla Project roughly three days to issue a new version of Firefox that addressed the bugs.

• It took Microsoft about ten weeks to issue a version of Internet Explorer that addressed the vulnerabilities ("Microsoft's Patch Tuesday fixes record number of flaws... The flaw in Microsoft's CryptoAPI, was disclosed 10 weeks ago, but took on more urgency after a hacker published a counterfeit certificate for PayPal that made it trivial for someone mounting a man-in-the-middle attack to impersonate the online payment processor...").

So if you're looking for some benchmarking to compare the relative security of open source and proprietary software products, Marlinspike's clever SSL hackery is as good a case study as any.


Dear SEIU Members: You Know Those Really Cool Pensions You Were Promised? You've Got a Better Chance of Getting Hit By a Meteorite Than Collecting

The mathematical impossibility of paying off the overly rich pensions of public sector employees is hitting home in state after state. The battle over dwindling financial resources will pit taxpayers against the unions; once the citizenry gets wind of the outrageous defined-benefit pension plans crafted by SEIU bosses, there will be no containing the rage.

In California roughly 200,000 of the 235,000 state employees are unionized. In the last decade, pension payments by the state increased 2,000% with $3 billion paid out in 2009 alone. 15,000 retirees collect at least $100,000 a year. Many are former police officers, firefighters and prison guards who can retire at age 50 with pensions that pay 90% of final year's pay and are indexed for inflation. Given increasing lifespans, many of these retirees will collect payments for 40 or more years -- far longer than they worked for the state.

In Illinois, more than 4,000 retirees receive in excess of $100,000 annually and nearly 15,000 collect more money than they ever did as state employees. The state's pension system is the most underfunded plan in the nation with a $50 billion shortfall.

In Massachusetts more than 100 retirees collect over $183,000 a year. State and local pensions are underfunded by an estimated $22 billion. And some workers continue to game the system. It appears that some local pension boards transferred workers to different jobs on their last day of employment in order to collect extra benefits.

In New Jersey the Democrats in charge orchestrated a series of pension gaffes. In the 90's, when the economy was robust, the state legislature stopped contributing to the pension fund though $4.6 billion of benefits accrued. The state is also one of many that "kicked the can down the road" by selling bonds to pay for pension benefits. In 1997 New Jersey sold $2.75 billion of pension bonds which pay a fixed 7.64 interest rate; the fund, however, has only earned 4.8%, so the entire exercise cost the state an extra half a billion dollars.

In New York the teachers' pension fund lost $9 billion while ringing up increased costs; overall the teachers' system is underfunded by at least $15 billion. In the last decade, teachers' salaries rose 43% but their contributions to pension plans dropped from 18% of the total to 6%. Over the same time span, a state law was passed that allowed the highest-paid teachers to avoid contributing to their pensions entirely.

And this is just a small sample of the rot festering inside the public retirement plans. In total the U.S. public pension system is underfunded by more than $2 trillion.

....[the underfunding deficit] will increase pressure on many states’ strained finances and crimp economic growth, according to the chairman of New Jersey’s pension fund. The estimate by Orin Kramer will fuel investors’ concerns over the deteriorating financial health of US states after the recession. “State and local governments are correctly perceived to be in serious difficulty,” Mr Kramer told the Financial Times... “If you factor in the reality of these unfunded promises, their deficits will rise exponentially.”

Estimates of aggregate funding requirement of the US pension system have ranged between $400bn and $500bn, but Mr Kramer’s analysis concluded that public funds would need to find more than $2,000bn to meet future pension obligations.

Public sector union bosses have completely hosed their members and taxpayers by constructing impossible pension payment schemes. The shortfall will be real, the outrage formidable and the misery significant.

When a company goes bankrupt, the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corp (PBGC) is intended to step in to cover the shortfall. But the PBGC does not protect state or local retirement plans.

It's high time that public-sector unions were outlawed and all such organizations currently operating disbanded. It's clear that they serve no useful purpose other than soaking taxpayers and their rank-and-file members.


Another day, another intifada at the University of California Irvine

On 8 February 2010, Israel's Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, gave a speech at Cal-Irvine. The school has a troubling history of tolerating and implicitly supporting hateful activities by Muslim extremists. It was no surprise, then, that Oren was heckled and interrupted repeatedly during the speech.

The ambassador persevered, however, and completed his speech once the anti-free speech crowd had been ejected and arrested.

Of the Cal-Irvine administration, Bruce Kesler asks, "where are the adults?"

The University of California campus at Irvine was the scene a few days ago of pro-Palestinian demonstrators interrupting the presentation by Israel’s Ambassador to the US, Michael Oren. Scott Johnson at PowerLine sums up the demonstrators’ core proposition: "The actions are based on the proposition that the defense of Israel in speech is beyond the bounds of civilized discourse just as the defense of Israel in deed is illegitimate because Israel is illegitimate."

...Max Boot, a graduate of "Berzerkley", wrote at Contentions, of this and similar campus attacks, “Anything short of expulsion, or at least suspension, would seem to be a wrist-slap that will only encourage more such misconduct in the future and make a mockery of the free speech that universities are supposed to champion.”

The San Diego Union-Tribune editorial read: “It was an embarrassing display of inhospitality [at Irvine]. It was also a wasted opportunity. The critics should have stayed and listened. As a U.S.-born scholar on the Middle East and a best-selling author with a Ph.D. from Princeton, Oren has much to say about one of the most important and interesting corners of the globe.”

By contrast, Ambassador Oren appeared at the University of California campus at San Diego a few days later... In sharp contrast, UCSD’s administration demonstrated resolve and determination to conduct a program in a peaceful and civilized manner and in the best traditions of the university’s commitment to freedom of speech and exchange of ideas. The presentation started with a strong statement from Peter Cowhey, Dean of the UC San Diego School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, that interruptions would not be tolerated during Ambassador Oren’s presentation and that members of the audience would have the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the presentation. The lecture proceeded smoothly..."

Though the Q&A was dominated by pro-Palestinian students, “Ambassador Oren responded to each question with the knowledge of the accomplished historian that he is and with the wisdom of a true diplomat.”

If you'd like to voice your displeasure for its continued support of lawlessness and discord, contact UC-Irvine's Chancellor Michael Drake and the California Board of Regents.

 

Get Rich or Die Warming: Climategate Scientist Admits the UN's Global Warming Alarmism Is a Fraud and There is No Consensus

The scientist at the heart of the Climategate scandal -- the Climate Research Unit's Dr. Phil Jones -- has admitted what any sensible person had figured out long ago. The United Nation's global warming initiative is a complete and utter fraud:
  • The data used to create the infamous 'hockey stick graph' is missing
  • There has been no global warming since 1995
  • Warming periods have happened before and were obviously not due to man
  • It's likely that the Earth was warmer in medieval times than now
Sceptics believe there is strong evidence that the world was warmer between about 800 and 1300 AD than now because of evidence of high temperatures in northern countries... But climate change advocates have dismissed this as false or only applying to the northern part of the world.

Professor Jones departed from this consensus when he said: ‘There is much debate over whether the Medieval Warm Period was global in extent or not. The MWP is most clearly expressed in parts of North America, the North Atlantic and Europe and parts of Asia...

Sceptics said this was the first time a senior scientist working with the IPCC had admitted to the possibility that the Medieval Warming Period could have been global, and therefore the world could have been hotter then than now.

The actual text of the BBC's interview with Jones makes it clear that the entire jig is up.

[Question] - When scientists say "the debate on climate change is over", what exactly do they mean - and what don't they mean?

[Jones] - ...I don't believe the vast majority of climate scientists think this. This is not my view. There is still much that needs to be undertaken to reduce uncertainties, not just for the future, but for the instrumental (and especially the palaeoclimatic) past as well.

...

[Question] - If you have confidence in your science why didn't you come out fighting like the UK government's drugs adviser David Nutt when he was criticised?

[Jones] - I don't feel this question merits an answer.

Putting the last nail in the global warming coffin, the Times of London reported today that top atmospheric scientists have stated "the world may not be warming".

“The temperature records cannot be relied on as indicators of global change,” said John Christy, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, a former lead author on the IPCC...

The doubts of Christy and a number of other researchers focus on the thousands of weather stations around the world, which have been used to collect temperature data over the past 150 years... These stations, they believe, have been seriously compromised by factors such as urbanisation, changes in land use and, in many cases, being moved from site to site.

Christy has published research papers looking at these effects in three different regions: east Africa, and the American states of California and Alabama.

“The story is the same for each one,” he said. “The popular data sets show a lot of warming but the apparent temperature rise was actually caused by local factors affecting the weather stations, such as land development.”

The IPCC faces similar criticisms from Ross McKitrick, professor of economics at the University of Guelph, Canada, who was invited by the panel to review its last report.

The experience turned him into a strong critic and he has since published a research paper questioning its methods... "We concluded, with overwhelming statistical significance, that the IPCC’s climate data are contaminated with surface effects from industrialisation and data quality problems. These add up to a large warming bias," he said... Such warnings are supported by a study of US weather stations co-written by Anthony Watts, an American meteorologist and climate change sceptic.

His study, which has not been peer reviewed, is illustrated with photographs of weather stations in locations where their readings are distorted by heat-generating equipment... Some are next to air- conditioning units or are on waste treatment plants. One of the most infamous shows a weather station next to a waste incinerator... the weather station at Rome airport... catches the hot exhaust fumes emitted by taxiing jets... a weather station at Manchester airport was built when the surrounding land was mainly fields but is now surrounded by heat-generating buildings.

I've got the perfect name for the movie that will inevitably document this despicable fraud: Get rich or die warming.


Larwyn's Linx: The Answer to Socialism

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget.

Nation

The Answer to Socialism: Doc Zero
Murtha: Requiem for a Corruptocrat: Malkin
Is Patches' seat a possible GOP pickup?: Barone

National Evil Association: Cold Fury
Only School Choice Will Keep Them Honest: PJM
Detroit Public Schools Finally Ends 'Social Promotion': BlogProf

Obama Responds to Massachusetts Miracle: Lizards
How the Plaintiffs Bar Bought the Senate: MI
A Further Inquiry Into Obama's Origins: AT

Maryland Gun Owners in Cross Hairs: Times
William Delahunt, you’re next contestant in losing game: Carr
The Murderous Socialist Prof and Rep. Delahunt: GWP

Economy

Paul Ryan's Lonely Challenge: Samuelson
Wet dreams from my lobbyist: LegalIns
U.S. Patent Activity for the Last 125 Years : Carpe Diem

Goldman's Record Profits Came At Taxpayer Expense: Zero Hedge
Obama: You Know Those Massive Deficits I Rang Up? Those Were Bush's Fault: GWP
The Two Americas: Public vs. Private Sector, the $159k Busdriver : Carpe Diem

Partisan Attacks Will Not Solve the Problem: Denninger
Microsoft's Craig Mundie: we should require "licenses" for internet use: Ace

Climate & Energy

Climategate's Phil Jones Confesses to Climate Fraud: AT
'Al Gore, Call Your Agent': Driscoll
Surprise–AGW Moonbats Running Cambridge MA: CBullitt

Media

Hell Hath No More Childish Fury Than Andrea Mitchell and Robert Gibbs Scorned: RWN
'Impeach Obama' Billboard Spotted in Wisconsin: GWP
Conspiracy of Fear: The Left’s Program to Destroy the Tea Parties: RWN

“Conformo-Radicalism:” Strike A Pose, There’s Nothing To It: RWN
President Me! The Musical: YouTube
The Most Extreme Appointees in History: Baldwin

World

The Pending Implosion of Liberal Socialism: Strata-Sphere
The Taxi Drivers' Revolt: GoV
Uncivilization at U.C. Irvine: Stand With Us

Cartoon of Mohammad as a Pig Writing the Koran Causes Fear of Violence: Jawa
Now Iran Wants a Seat on the UN Human Rights Council: Rosett
Are Socialist Worker Militias Coming to a City Near You?: PJM

Obama Makes Excuses to do Nothing About Iran: JRubin
Obama’s Three-Part Path to Failure on Iran: JRubin
Is It Possible for a Practicing Muslim Soldier to Swear Allegiance to the U.S. Constitution?: AT

SciTech

Pale Blue Dot: An Alien View Of Earth: NPR
A new Buzz start-up experience based on your feedback: Gmail Blog
Moonbat Scientists Prove That Beetles Don’t Like Rush Limbaugh: RWN

Cornucopia

Celebrity Interlude: Blair
Okay, Here’s One For The Guys – The Ford Housecar – Happy Valentine’s Day, Dear!: iOTW
Nerds Win: Barbie Is a Computer Engineer: Topless Robot

"The appeal of socialism comes from more than just using money taken from the wealthy to buy the votes of the poor. It is also an expression of rage, from those who believe capitalism has treated them unfairly. Too many people seem quite willing to put up with a reduction in their modest standard of living, as long as they believe some faceless 'fat cats' are getting soaked. Those who follow the bitter politics of envy should understand that every system of ordering human affairs produces both the rich and the poor. In our current situation, what cats are fatter than the political elite? As of 2008, two-thirds of our Senators were millionaires, and all of them enjoy lavish perks, incredible benefits, and gold-plated retirements, including plush lobbying and consulting jobs… when they’re unlucky enough to fall through the few holes in a 90% incumbent re-election safety net. Many of our representatives, like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, live like royalty by abusing their power. Every nickel of a politician’s fortune comes directly from your pocket, without your willing consent to purchase products or services." -- Doc Zero


Saturday, February 13, 2010

Wanted: Finely Crafted, Disguised Firearms



State of the Internet 2009

Excellent infographic from Focus:















Tango: your future car if the EPA gets its way

The electric Tango is only a meter long wide and can run for a whopping 35 miles for each hour of charge.










Pity the flat-Earth, no-growth, anti-industrialist, crypto-Marxist "greens" haven't figured out that electric cars require coal or nuclear energy.

Oh my: Dianne 'Franken' Feinstein Scrawled Notes On Her Hand, Violating Rules of a Televised Debate

In light of the Sarah-Palin-had-notes-on-her-hand kerfuffle, let's set the Wayback Machine to October 1990:

Veteran California political scribes recalled... that now-senior Senator Dianne Feinstein pulled the same stunt during a crucial debate when she unsuccessfully ran for governor against Pete Wilson.

Back in October 1990, Feinstein and Wilson had their one-and-only debate of the campaign; nervous before the statewide televised event, DiFi scrawled three words — “growth, education, choice” on her palm in blue marker, to remind her of the policy themes she wanted to sound.

Her action technically violated a ground rule, on which the campaigns had agreed, against bringing notes to the podium. When reporters challenged her about it after the debate, Feinstein hid her hand behind her back, said, “I’m not going to show you,” and walked away.

Her bizarre reaction only fed the story for several days; an L.A. TV station showed blown-up pictures of her scrawled hand, and the Wilson campaign paid for a computer-enhanced picture that they circulated to the press corps. It was a superficial issue, but it helped the Republican candidate advance the notion that his Democratic rival — the first woman to win a major party nomination for governor — was too unknown to trust in the job. Whether or not the handwriting flap was a factor, Wilson beat Feinstein in November.

Perhaps the media and Robert "Bringing Hope to the Mediocre" Gibbs will mock the feckless Feinstein as well.

But I forgot the meme that the media incessantly markets: All Dems are smart; all Republicans are stupid.


"Earl, I'm feelin' a vibration when I accelerate..."

Papa B points us to this amazin' tale:

This guy ran over a mattress and decided to keep going. The ensuing jumble finally whipped around enough to put a hole in the gas tank, the subsequent lack of fuel is what finally brought this vehicle to it's knees.

It still managed to drive decently for another 30 miles with a 60lb tangle wrapped around it's driveshaft.

This genius complained to the dealership that it had a "shimmy" when driving at high speeds... This is what the dealership found...



Actually, it isn't a mustang, it's a truck.

It would still drive as the driveshaft was able to spin inside the tangled mess of the springs. The only reason it quit running was it punctured a hole in the gas tank and he ran out of gas.


Tragedy in DC as snow-plow uncovers ice block containing frozen Al Gore

(Washington DC - Ross News Service) - The mystery surrounding the whereabouts of former Vice President Albert Gore, Jr. was put to rest today with a grisly discovery. A snow-plow driver unearthed the frozen carcass of Gore earlier today at an undisclosed location near the Smithsonian Institute.

"I was jes' plowing the edge of the street when KA-BLAM! -- I ran right into a block of ice frozen as solid as Bea Arthur," said veteran DC plowman Greg Bishop.

"Looked to me like he was trying to get into the Smithsonian -- he had a map and everything, like he was tryin' to find the exhibit on global warming."


Oops: Hippie Critic had the same idea... earlier than me and better than me.

The New Math: Union Pensionomics Levies Crushing Debt on State and Local Governments

How's this for an investment?

You pay a total of $124,000 into your pension plan and, upon retiring at age 49, you receive $3.3 million in pension payments and $500,000 in health care benefits. You receive $3.8 million in total on a $124,000 investment.

Or this:

You pay a total of $62,000 towards a pension plan and absolutely nothing for health care (medical, dental and vision coverage) over your working career. Upon retirement, you are paid $1.4 million in pension and $215,000 in health care benefits. You receive $1.6 million on a $62,000 investment.

These are real world examples from New Jersey's crushing public sector union retirement plans paid for by the state's taxpayers. Republican Governor Chris Christie is demanding drastic actions to prevent New Jersey from falling off the precipice and into full-fledged bankruptcy.

This year’s budget projected 5.1% growth in sales tax revenue and flat growth in corporate business tax revenues. In June of 2009, was there anyone in New Jersey, other than in the Department of Treasury, who actually believed any revenues would grow in 2009-2010? With spiraling unemployment heading over 10%, with a financial system in crisis and with consumers petrified to spend, only Trenton treasury officials could certify that kind of growth. In fact, sales tax revenue is not up 5%, it is down 5.5 %; and corporate business tax revenue is not flat, it is down 8%.

...For example, the state cannot continue to subsidize New Jersey transit to the extent it does. So I am cutting that subsidy. New Jersey transit will have to improve the efficiency of its operations, revisit its rich union contracts, end the patronage hiring that has typified its past

...The state cannot this year spend another $100 million contributing to a pension system that is desperately in need of reform

One state retiree, 49 years old, paid, over the course of his entire career, a total of $124,000 towards his retirement pension and health benefits. What will we pay him? $3.3 million in pension payments over his life and nearly $500,000 for health care benefits -- a total of $3.8m on a $120,000 investment. Is that fair?

A retired teacher paid $62,000 towards her pension and nothing, yes nothing, for full family medical, dental and vision coverage over her entire career. What will we pay her? $1.4 million in pension benefits and another $215,000 in health care benefit premiums over her lifetime. Is it “fair” for all of us and our children to have to pay for this excess?

The total unfunded pension and medical benefit costs are $90 billion. We would have to pay $7 billion per year to make them current. We don’t have that money—you know it and I know it. What has been done to our citizens by offering a pension system we cannot afford and health benefits that are 41% more expensive than the average Fortune 500 company’s costs is the truly unfair part of this equation.

California, another deep blue state controlled in large part by public sector unions, is also in crisis. It seems unable, or unwilling, to deal with the fiscal realities.

• California spent $75 million on cars and furniture in the midst of a massive financial crisis...

• spends $4 billion a year on educating illegal immigrants...

• spends $775 million annually for illegals' medical care...

• and spends $500 million a year on other welfare benefits for illegals...

Mike "Mish" Shedlock calls public sector unions "Public Enemy Number One".

The reality is public unions are public enemy number one. Christie did not go far enough. He should have stated a goal of totally abolishing the unions.

Nonetheless, Christie's speech makes me want to stand up and salute. Someone finally had the courage to lay the blame for state fiscal crises smack where blames belongs, on public unions and political hacks willing to buy union votes.

Christie's proposal is just a start. The job is not over until every public union in the country is abolished along with their overbloated pension plans.

The financial blight -- bequeathed by the public sector unions to state and local government -- is not yet visible to most Americans. Thanks to pragmatists like Governor Christie, these unions are going to resemble cockroaches when the light of day shines on their untenable contracts.


Linked by: Hot Air and Rush Limbaugh. Thanks!

Larwyn's Linx: Why Did Rome Fall? And Why Does It Matter Now?

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget.

Nation

Why Did Rome Fall? And Why Does It Matter Now?: Hanson
John Murtha: Requiem for a corruptocrat: Malkin
Was Obama a Committed Marxist in College?: GWP

Harkin: We're Going Ahead With Reconciliation: Ace
Holder going under the bus?: Hot Air
White House Wants Warrantless Tracking of All Cell Phones: Ace

What the Tea Party movement is all about.: Tapscott
Why Tenure Harms Education: AT
Planned summit is just an infomercial: NRO

Census 2010: Up to 800 Canvassers With Criminal Records: BMW
'The Era of McCain is Over': Wizbang
White House Prepares for Supreme Court Vacancy: Patterico

Economy

A Less Perfect Union: Doc Zero
Leftists Disinterested in Real Conflicts of Interest: Blumer
Obama's Attack Machine—II: Strassel

Gov. Christie: "New Jersey on Edge of Bankruptcy": Mish
Testing Positive for Stupid: PJM
Organizing for America Astroturf Fail: BlogProf

The Unions and the President: Wizbang
ACORN poised to rake in $4B of taxpayer dough: IBD
Going Galt: New Jersey: RWN

Climate & Energy

Snow is on the Ground in all Fifty States: Wizbang
It's not the CO2, it's the Magma: Strata-Sphere
Utah: Resolved, global warming is a fraud: Surber

A Canadian Newspaper Prints the Obituary of a Man-Made Hoax: Big Journalism
Disgraced AP Laughingstock Borenstein Can't Keep Global Warming Out of National Snow Story: Blumer
Resolving the Global Warming Fraud: Doc Zero

Media

David Brooks: I’m worried about Obama’s legacy, and I have some suggestions I hope will help him: Toldjah
What I saw at the Tea Party Convention: Reynolds
Bill Maher Denounces Scott Brown, Suggests Obama Stick Tea Bag Up Beck's Anatomy: NewsBusters

Obama’s Ministry Of Misinformation: Strata-Sphere
Goebbels Rising: “The Daily Dish” Serves Socially Acceptable Anti-Semitism: NewsReal
The case against Marc Thiessen: Power Line

NY Times Proves Obama Is, In Fact, Too Dim To Understand: RWN
When Obama's Lost Ted Rall...: RWN

World

Afghanistan: Marjah, The Battle Has Begun: Jawa
Obama: Hey, If I Give You Bitter Clinger Teabaggers Military Tribunals for Terrorists, Will That Be Enough?: Ace
Ukraine's Orange Revolution Goes Sour: PJM (Solway)

Obama and 'First Americans': AT
"Coexist" -- Bumper Sticker: Jawa
Video: Olympic luger loses control, dies at first day of Olympics: BlogProf

Castro Regime Secretly Tapes Hollywood Liberals: RWN

SciTech

Airborne Laser zaps in-flight missile: CNet
Microsoft adds new procedures to Windows 7 activation: InfoWorld

Cornucopia

Goombah Institute: YouTube
Goombah Workout Program: YouTube

"...the Hoax is fully exposed, buck naked, picked clean. Clean as the wind-driven snow.

...Its false prophets, led by Al Gore — a modern day P.T. Barnum — will continue to push their premise. But their disciples will melt away as the snow will eventually melt in D.C.       -- Archy Cary