Oh, they're twisting and turning, cringing and sighing.

Reluctantly, in an effort to call 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue home, the GOP's presidential hopefuls are finally sucking it up and accepting the fact that denying global warming is no longer an option.

They have to if they have any shot at winning this next election.

According to poll after poll, more and more Americans not only believe global warming is a threat . . . but also admit that they are likely to be influenced according to the stand taken by the candidates on this issue.

There were even some poll results released a few weeks ago that showed nearly 40% of respondents admitted that urgent drastic action must be taken, and that a presidential candidate's position on global warming will be either extremely important or very important when casting their ballots next year.

Of course, at the end of the day, poll results can go either way.

Let's face it: Most folks running these things have some kind of outside influence, whether we want to believe it or not.

But either way, we're now starting to see a number of republican candidates admitting that global warming is a real threat.

And that leads me to believe that this IS a real issue for voters.

Because you know damn well that all those guys behind the scenes, crunching numbers and running statistical analyses, are telling the candidates exactly what they need to do and say to get that vote.

Why else would Senator McCain promise to demand sharply higher fuel standards from the automobile industry?

Why else would we hear Giuliani say that he does believe there is global warming?

The only question is, will they back up their bark with real bite?

If they follow in the footsteps of the Democrats, probably not.

For those who didn't get the memo

For years, Democrats have positioned themselves as the candidates that are more concerned about the environment than Republicans.

But is that true?

Well, I don't know the answer to that.

I suppose I could attempt to prove or disprove this. But I only have a day to write these articles. So we'll just have to wait for someone else to take that one on.

What I can tell you, however, is that it's pretty hard to believe anything some of these Democratic candidates say about the environment when most continue to take handout after handout from big oil.

While Senator Clinton says she wants to give oil companies the choice of either investing in renewable energy or pay into a fund, her treasure chest of donations has almost $161,000 in it from the oil and gas industry.

And on Bill Richardson's website, you'll find this:

"I am calling for a New American Revolution--an energy and climate revolution."

I guess this "revolution" starts with the $95,000 worth of contributions he has landed so far from the oil and gas industry.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to attack the Democrats here.

I'm an equal-opportunity bullshit-caller when it comes to these politicians.

And this new wave of interest in global warming from the Republican candidates is nothing more than a balancing act between saying the right thing to get votes while not straying too far so they don't lose that petroleum cash cow.

Take Giuliani, for instance.

One minute he's saying he believes global warming is real. But based on his speech on energy last summer in Waterloo, Iowa, one would assume that he doesn't really care whether it's real or not. After all, he focused quite a bit on the so-called benefits of coal, which is a major contributor to global warming.

And Fred Thompson recently said that climate change is real and suggested a measured approach until more was known about it.

A measured approach until more was known about it?!!

I guess he didn't get the memo, but that cowardly argument ended in March after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report came out.

In that report, the world's top climate scientists said global warming was "very likely" man-made and would bring higher temperatures and a steady rise in sea levels.

That report contradicted the Exxon-funded reports that suggested otherwise.

Go figure!

Nonetheless, I do believe most Republicans know they can no longer run away from this issue. But, much like the Democrats, that's also not stopping them from taking handouts from big oil.

Combined, Rudolph Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain have received $889,468 from the oil and gas industry.

Being "into" big oil for more than three quarters of a million bucks doesn't lead me to believe they're serious about any of this.

Of course, we all know that the system today is set up to reward the candidate who can raise the most money.

It's not about who's best for the job. It's about who's best for special interests.

But whether it's a jackass or an elephant whoring itself out to these guys, there's nothing any of them can do to stop the market from dictating the transition from fossil fuels to alternatives.

If you really want to know where we'll be with oil and coal ten years from now, don't look to a politician--look to the market.

Solar demand's going up, prices are coming down and solar stocks are making investors rich.

Geothermal leases are being bought up at light speed and new geothermal power plants are being built in record numbers.

And you know these companies will have no problem landing 20-year power purchase agreements with the utilities. Not with nearly half the states in the U.S. now mandating renewable electricity standards.

High-performance battery stocks are going through the roof. Especially this week as oil soared to $90 a barrel.

These are the companies that will supply the power for tomorrow's Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles.

They'll also supply us with massive gains.

Just look at Ener1 (ENEI.OB), the high-performance battery stock we recommended to our Alternative Energy Traders back on September 18.

You have to love it!

Sure, we know we can't rely on these candidates to do the right thing.

We can't rely on them to secure our energy infrastructure, to clean up the mess their contributors keep making without any regard to the environment or even to stop taking handouts from special interest.

But we can rely on the market.

The market, my friends, is transitioning our energy economy right before our eyes.

And we're profiting every step of the way.

How about you?

Until next time . . .

Jeff

*Oil and gas contribution numbers courtesy of the Center for Responsive Politics.