Four years ago President Obama promised that this was the moment (his election) "when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal." That was then. Now, at least in campaign ads, he is championing coal production.

Gov. Romney in the past also has talked about climate change as an important issue. Now, hardly at all. His "all of the above" energy menu is distinctive chiefly because he doesn't want the government to keep investing in loser green companies the way it has under Obama and because he wants to end the Obama policies that have slowed oil and gas production.

David Brooks of the New York Times recently made the startling point that Al Gore, after he lost for Presdient, was worth $2 million, but today "his wealth is estimated to be around $100 million." The government makes insiders rich, even when their ideas fail.

Somehow, the constituency for green energy has been absent in the current presidential campaign and the media have neglected the climate change issue, too. Wonder why? Someone should ask the candidates at Monday night's foreign policy debate. After all, it's called "global warming."