True to form, the Wall Street Journal has slammed former Vice President and Nobel Prize winner Al Gore and tried to discredit the science arguing the case for global warming. In so doing, the pro-business bastion appears to be as far out of step with the forces driving the U.S. economy as the Bush Administration is with the majority of the U.S. electorate.

The crux of the Journal’s argument is contained in a question: “What if everyone believes in global warmism only because everyone believes in global warmism?” Here’s a better question: What if they’re right?

The WSJ article – penned by editorial-board member Holman W. Jenkins Jr. – cautions readers to beware of “public-opinion cascades” such as the current spate of dire warnings about what global warming is doing to the planet.

In recent days, more than 200 scientists have urged world leaders in Bali to act fast on climate change, 150 international firms have called for mandatory cuts in greenhouse gases, and the U.S. Senate has advanced the first-ever bill calling for mandatory emissions limits. In addition, Australia recently reversed its position by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol.

Not a happy turn of events for the Bush Administration. But if the WSJ article was meant to steady them in the face of growing public pressure, it would appear to have succeeded. The U.S. delegation has informed the UN climate-change summit in Bali that it will not alter its stance against significant emissions reductions.

Near the end of his article, Jenkins poses another question: What if the heads being counted to certify an alleged “consensus” arrived at their positions by counting heads? In the case of the Bush Administration, it appears they don’t know how to count at all.

So it’s damn the science, full speed ahead, as usual.