Margaret Wente Got No Exxon Money.

We're sure of that.

Yesterday the estimable Ms.Wente did one those tea and kilobytes Q and A's of which the Globe has become so inordinately fond.

On page two of her virtual jeremiad about the unfashionably overwrought response anthropogenic global warming seems to be eliciting she makes reference to several websites for those inclined to seek more information.

Two of the sites she recommend I would recommend as well. Those being Prometheus out of the University of Colorado and Real Climate.

But it's the third that rang bells.

She referred to the Competitive Enterprise Institute this way: "And for an overview that argues we should just all calm down, try the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a conservative U.S. think thank."

They provide "an overview". As in "a general outline of a subject or situation; survey or summary" (Random House) or "A broad, comprehensive view; a survey" (American Heritage) or "a short description of something which provides general information about it, but no details" (Cambridge).

All or any of which would lead one to think that the CEI spoke from authority on the matter.

In point of fact they've been one of the main recipients of the anti-global warming largesse of Exxon and only stopped receiving Exxon funding in 2006.

There's been no indication that CEI was involved in The American Enterprise Institutes offer to pay scientists and economists a nice big chunk of change to undermine the IPCC report. There's no indication AEI's offer was extended to journalists either. And there's certainly no indication that an extra ten grand showed up in Wente's chequing account.

Though she certainly earned it.