I was asked by Fox News today toappear on-air at five o’clock to discuss this silly trend of the parties stumbing over each other to proclaim a “green” convention, but the University of Virginia apparently is continuing its boycott of me (several other recent requests since the pattern first made itself clear have also met a similar reception).

But the topic got me thinking — what with a related issue dominating politics at the moment. So, were UVA not so persistently hostile to enabling speech that ruffles certain genteel, left-wing feathers, my assessment would have been something like this:

As long as one maintains the proper perspective about the go-green practice – that it is merely a gesture – then I have no objections. But of course, at least with one party that prospect is utterly implausible, and soon the effort smacks of a couple of class clowns racing to eat the most paste or put the most pencils in their nose.

The peril goes deeper than that in times like these, however. What does it say about a party whose current signature position holds that tapping billions of barrels of domestic oil and natural gas really wouldn’t make a difference, so we shouldn’t bother?, while feverishly nagging their vendors with rigid imperatives to recycle and ensure the fanny packs and hats are made from organic cotton?

Well, some folks have said this campaign is about “judgment.” Maybe this fast fading fad will prove useful, after all.