Language Log is doing the hard work of debunking a new conservative meme about Obama's supposed imperial arrogance.

Up until now I've avoiding watching wonderingmind42's climate change videos on the grounds that I didn't really need convincing on the subject—but after they got Ze's seal of approval yesterday I decided to finally give them a look. As is so often the case with this sort of thing, the best thing about them is also the worst thing about them: I think they provide a useful framework to try to reach out to global warming skeptics and disbelievers, which is good, but at the same time very frustrating insofar as the debate around this and other important issues continues to reduce to the problem of communicating information to people who very pointedly refuse to learn anything about anything. As such it's hard to imagine this video having all that much of a real-world impact, though it's been fairly popular, and has maybe even changed a few minds.

Regardless of my hopeless pessimism, however, of course Greg should be highly commended for the effort. Maybe he'll reach those doubters yet.

Here's How It All Ends, the risk-management approach to global warming in a nutshell.

And here's the index of all the "expansion-pack" responses he's made to the original video in an effort to address objections.