During the campaign, conservatives bashed then-candidate Barack Obama for this remark:

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said.

"That's not leadership. That's not going to happen," he added.

Now that Obama is leader of the free world, his actions demonstrate a different attitude to leadership.

The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.

“He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”

For the record, orchid-growing temperatures range from the high-60s to the low-80s depending on the type of orchid.

Obama's failure to practice what he preaches when it comes to environmentalism is epidemic on the left. Ted Kennedy is all for wind turbines, as long as they don't affect his view. Al Gore doesn't see the disconnect between conspicuous consumption and his huge boat. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi aghast at automotive executives flying on private jets, but she can't be bothered to fly commercial either.

As your energy bills rise over the next few years, keep this in mind.