Having excoriated the Liberals for promising more than they could deliver in the fight against global warming, the Conservatives have found themselves in exactly the same predicament in their efforts to combat smog.

We can probably abandon any hope of measurable improvements in air quality for many years to come.

The government's strategy was simple: Shift the focus from greenhouse gases to smog. Produce a program that toughens automobile emissions and reduces the pollution from coal-fired generating stations. Ignore environmental zealots such as those at the David Suzuki Foundation who will dismiss anything produced by any Conservative government on principle, but aim for at least a partial endorsement from the moderates in the environmental movement.

Then contrast the pragmatic Conservative approach to the ineffectual Liberal record in the next election campaign, and reap the rewards in urban constituencies.

Nice plan. Isn't working. More...