Today's NYT editorial on governors taking control of environmental issues is the give up theory in action.

We cannot rely on the federal government to regulate green house gas emissions while it is being run by oil and automotive interests. Even when the feds do get around to passing the needed regulation it is usually considerably weaker than, or purposefully undermines, state regulations. A good example is the Bush administration's opposition to California's attempt to get more hybrids and electrics on the road. So, give up on the federal government, the power of the blue states will provide (even when those states have "Republican" governors).