Some of the other long-shot candidates have consistently opposed the global warming juggernaut, but conservative voters seem to be settling on the two candidates who have most emphatically rejected it and thus might have what it takes to save the economy — Rick Perry and Representative Michele Bachmann. Both are tough as nails, fearless, and less-government-more-freedom conservatives. The principal difference between them is that Bachmann has no executive leadership experience, while Perry has been governor of the most economically successful state in the Union for ten years. Bachmann briefly overtook Romney as the frontrunner when she entered the race early in the summer. When Perry became a candidate in August, he quickly shot to the top of the polls.

Here is how Perry replied to Huntsman at the debate: "The idea that we'd put America's economy at jeopardy based on scientific theory that's not settled yet, to me is just nonsense. Just because you have a group of scientists that have stood up and said ‘here is the fact'...Galileo got outvoted for a spell." 

Perry's response was inarticulate, but he was getting at the two key points in the debate. First, there is nothing sacrosanct about scientific authority. The fact is that there is no scientific consensus about global warming; there is a political consensus among the scientific establishment, most of whom have no expertise in climate science, but many of whom do have strong political commitment to bigger government. 

Second, it is irresponsible and foolish to commit to policies that will cost people trillions of dollars on the basis that you can trust scientists. People in authority are of course often trustworthy, but the prudent course is to assume that they are not. President Reagan's motto for dealing with the Soviet leaders is more generally appropriate: "Trust, but verify." One of the most obvious characteristics of many of the leading scientists who are promoting global warming alarmism is their unwavering resistance to all attempts to verify their conclusions.