Even with their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate Democrats simply don’t have the votes to pass the job-killing legislation at this point. Not looking forward to totally embarrassing her colleagues and the White House by having the bill defeated in such a climate, Barbara Boxer is putting the whole thing on hold and making no promises on delivery dates.

President Barack Obama’s push for quick action by Congress on climate change legislation suffered a setback on Thursday when the U.S. Senate committee leading the drive delayed work on the bill until September.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer said her self-imposed deadline of early August for finishing writing a bill to combat global warming has been put off until after Congress returns from a recess that ends in early September.

“We’ll do it as soon as we get back” from that break, Boxer told reporters. Asked if this delay jeopardizes chances the Senate will pass a bill this year, Boxer said, “Not a bit … we’ll be in (session) until Christmas, so I’m not worried about it.”

But Boxer did not guarantee Congress will be able to finish a bill and deliver it to Obama by December, when he plans to attend an international summit on climate change in Copenhagen.

With unemployment on the rise, President Obama’s approval rating trending downwards, and predictions of massive inflation from even Democratic supporters, Senate Democrats simply can’t afford to pass more job-killing legislation right now. They neither possess the political capital nor want the responsibility of its inevitable failure resting squarely on their shoulders.

More: Hot Air.