A few of us chuckled today at the thought of former Vice President Al Gore launching his own "reality project" to once again try to thrust climate change to the forefront of public debate.

The first reason this is funny is because it sounds awfully familiar.  Art often imitates reality, but sometimes it's the other way around:

KRAMER: Hey Jerry!  I'm starting a Peterman Reality Bus Tour. Check it out. Hahaha.

GEORGE: Reality tour?

JERRY: The last thing this guy's qualified to give a tour of is reality.

Our thoughts exactly.

Finally, I think that the timing of Gore's new-found "reality" kick is anything but a coincidence:

NEW YORK, July 11 (UPI) -- Three-quarters of Americans say natural disasters are on the increase, but fewer than ever believe the climate is heating up, a new poll finds. ...

Only 44 percent say they "believe the theory" that carbon dioxide emissions are warming the Earth, down from 51 percent in 2009 and 71 percent in 2007, but most movement has been into the "not sure" column.