I read last December a great essay at Gristmill called Australians R Us!, and the essay talks about how Kevin Rudd unseated incumbent John Howard after 11 years of conservative rule by being the "global-warming candidate." The issue of climate change played a central role in his campaign and may have determined the outcome. The author of the article poses the question, “Can This Happen in America?” Can we, too, push climate change from a middle-of-the-pack political issue to the place it belongs: at the urgent center of the current presidential campaign?

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I have read on each presidential candidate’s web site their plan for a clean energy future, but I want it to be addressed more in front of a national American audience, and be one of the priority issues in this election. I have signed numerous petitions over the past few weeks asking these political pundits to question the candidates on their plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions and promote energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy technologies. I especially thought that last night’s Democratic Presidential debate being held in front of an eco-minded California audience would help get these questions addressed. But the candidates were not asked any questions once again about their plans from either the moderators or from the American public who submitted questions via Politico.com. Instead they were asked to address their concerns about sex & violence coming out of Hollywood.

Don’t get me wrong, I think that some of these other topics are important too. I have family/friends who have kids in Iraq; I am a healthy 45 year old female who is paying $675/month for just my health insurance with a $5000 deductible; and the mortgage crisis along with the poor economy is killing my business/livelihood. So I understand that there are other important issues people want to see the candidates discuss/debate. But what is it going to take all of us to do to get the issue of climate change to the top of the presidential priority list?