Cautious optimism in DC?

I don't want to get all giddy over the Democratic victory and what it means for the planet. But this little snippet of news from today's WaPo is a good way to start your day off right.

Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.) announced his intention to become the top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, now headed by Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), who has said that global warming is a hoax. Warner has called for action against climate change, and his ascension to a leadership post would accelerate significant changes already underway.

I'm not saying Warner is the Messiah. But compared with Inhofe, almost anyone would look good as the Environment Committee's top Republican. Warner's talk of "market-based measures and investments in new commercial technologies to slow the rate of growth in greenhouse gas emissions as we continue to gather further sound scientific evidence to guide national and international decision-making" isn't exactly a call to arms, but this is a senior Republican we're talking about, so I suppose that would be progress. Put him there along with incoming chair Barbara Boxer, and we just might have a winning team.

To repeat, though, I'm not getting my hopes up:

First, however, GOP senators must decide whether Warner's seniority on the committee grants him the right to be the ranking Republican. Inhofe issued a statement saying that he thinks Warner "has misunderstood the rules" and that "I intend to retain my leadership position in the 110th Congress, returning as the Ranking Member" of the environment committee.