It’s always fascinating to watch momentum shift in public policy. A year ago, it looked like the eco-fundamentalists would continue to amass supporters and inevitably storm the gates of power and “revolutionize” American energy policy.

But it i amazing what $4 per gallon does to American politics. Remember the carbon tax? A popular “solution” to global warming supported by Democrats like Al Gore and Republicans like Newt Gingrich. Yeah well, I haven’t heard any public officials talking about the carbon tax in months.

If you create a Google News timeline for the term “carbon tax” you can see a very prominent drop off so far in 2008. My bet is that it drops even further.

To contrast the policy climate from a year ago. Newt Gingrich is no longer talking carbon taxes, he’s saying saying “Drill Here, Drill Now.” And McCain appears ready to make that a centerpiece of his campaign. Go figure.