“Show Us the Ball” actually does a pretty good job demonstrating why a carbon tax isn’t going to happen: because there’s already a draft cap and trade bill in the House. Now is not the time for a new strategy, policy, and message, despite how entertaining it might have been for Friedman to write one up. His proposal is both late and arrogant—climate experts and economists knew about the idea of the carbon tax earlier in the game, and still rejected it as politically unfeasible. Friedman’s decision to enter the debate at this stage just looks like too little, too late. Is anyone surprised?

Daniel Luzer is web editor of the Washington Monthly.