Obama’s speech conspicuously omits "cap-and-trade"

Obama has been fairly silent on climate change, much to the chagrin of those who decry his rhetoric gap. He gave a big speech at MIT today which excited Joe Romm, but as Environmental Capital points out, the focus on renewable energy to the complete exclusion of cap-and-trade or broader climate legislation is very concerning to those of us who believe that a comprehensive market-based system to limit emissions is an important – nay, indispensable – step toward stemming global warming. As I commented on Climate Progress:

Isn’t it a bit concerning that Obama’s speech seems to focus completely on renewable energy, to the exclusion of broader climate legislation and market-based mitigation strategies? Cap and trade wasn’t mentioned at all, and the word “climate” only appears once (whereas “energy” is all over the place). If he is indeed trying to stump for the cap-and-trade system which is the centerpiece of Congress’s current climate legislation, he’s doing it in an extremely roundabout way...