Governor's Recent Comments Increasingly Skeptical: Is Schweitzer Shifting His Position on Cap-and-Trade?

A reader passed along a link to an interesting piece in the American Spectator by Paul Chesser, who points out some inconsistencies in Gov. Brian Schweitzer's position of late regarding support for a cap-and-trade greenhouse gas emissions bill. Chesser contrasts Schweitzer's long support for the idea, and push to enact a regional carbon cap-and-trade system alongside other Western governors, with recent comments the governor made on Real Time with Bill Maher where he implied that he doesn't necessarily support it because of the costs it could pass along to consumers.

Chesser even goes so far as to drop the dreaded F-bomb on Schweitzer's position: flip-flop.

Considering that Schweitzer has poured so much passion into Montana’s participation and development of a cap-and-trade program, why shouldn’t Maher (and the rest of us) be confused?

Meanwhile the Democrats still adhere to global warming as a signature issue, with cap-and-trade as their definitive means to solve the “problem.” With 18 incumbent governors facing potential re-election in 2010 (not to mention two this year), it might not be the best time for the flip-flopping Schweitzer to be out front of the their Governors Association as promoter and fundraiser.