Credit where credit is due: Jim Douglas trekked to Washington yesterday, to appear before Bernie’s Senate Environment and Public Works committee, and there he denounced the recent Bush-league decision by the EPA “to deny a waiver to allow California, Vermont and more than a dozen other states to move ahead with laws to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from motor vehicles.”

Yes, this is the sort of sporadic good deed that allows Douglas to so effectively moderate his image within Vermont; yes, he’s done a hundred other things this week worthy of your indignation.

But this was a day very well spent, and without getting all weepy and David Broderish about it, it’s good to see our Congressional delegation and our top state official push in a single progressive direction for a change.

Still, take a second look at that photo above.

All smiles, but don’t you get the distinct sense that Douglas is still half expecting a good cuff from Bernie, right out of the blue, at any second?