If there’s any hope for sanity in Washington over the next year, it rests with Blue Dog Democrats who are concerned about pissing off their voters and generally oppose big government, tax-and-spend legislation.

Rep. Dan Boren (D-Oklahoma) is one of this Blue Dogs to count on. Having just dropped off the screen for opposing his party on card check, Boren is now going on the offensive against the disastrous cap-and-trade legislation:

The cap-and-trade climate bill before Congress is the “worst piece of legislation” in recent years, one centrist Democratic lawmaker said Monday.

“The cap and trade bill is really the worst piece of legislation I’ve seen since I’ve been there,” Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) told the Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce. “It raises energy prices on businesses, raises electric bills on families, and it even raises gasoline prices in the middle of a recession. And, it makes America less competitive in the global economy.”

Boren was one of 44 House Democrats to vote against the American Clean Energy and Security Act, crafted by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), in a razor-thin vote last month.

Boren is absolutely right. Cap-and-trade will kill jobs, raise energy prices unfairly on average Americans, place additional costs on already-struggling companies, force gas prices upwards, and hurt our nation in the global economy. Of course, that’s the ultimate goal of the liberal Democratic wing, but it’s horribly wrong for America.

The good news is that Boren isn’t alone in his assessment even in his own party. Despite effectively controlling a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate, Democrats have had to postpone considering of the legislation until after the August recess. And there’s no guarantee of its consideration, much less passage, even after Congress returns from that break.

There’s hope for America yet…