Just in case you were under the impression Obama is merely wasting time at the UN Climate Conference in Paris, no, he’s looking to waste a fair amount of U.S. taxpayer money too - with $3 billion set to directly from the U.S. Treasury to the UN Green Climate Fund. Now you might remember that whole thing about how Congress controls the purse strings, which somehow never seems to stop Obama from spending as much as he wants however he wants regardless of congressional disapproval.

You have to love the Obama Administration’s approach to international agreements. Is it a treaty? Well, not if that means the Senate has to ratify it. Is it legally binding? Well, only the parts that don’t require Obama to respect the constitutional limits on his office.

As he did with the Iraq nuclear deal, Kerry is insisting this agreement will not be a treaty simply because he knows the Senate would never ratify it. That irritates fellow socialists like Hollande who realizes the U.S. could back out of it at any time, and almost certainly would if the next president is a Republican.

But the more immediate question is this: Would Republicans really stand up to Obama and refuse to fund his contribution to the Green Climate Fund? Usually when Obama wants something and the Republican Congress doesn’t want to give it to him, Obama decides to play chicken and take things straight to a government shutdown unless Congress capitulates. He does this because he knows full well that his media servants will push the narrative that Republicans are once again trying to shut down the government over some petty disagreement with Obama. He also knows full well that Mitch McConnell has the spine of a jellyfish and can usually be counted on to quickly wave the white flag lest he endure the second kick of a mule or something.

But would the same dynamic apply here? I’ve believe all along that Republicans can win these showdowns if they simply resolve to fight on the merits of the issues. And however much the Democrats and the media want the “fight against climate change” to be a mainstream imperative, the public isn’t buying it and never has. If ever there was a battle Republicans could win on the merits, it has to be the pissing away of $3 billion U.S. dollars for this kind of nonsense.

Even so, Sen. Inhofe’s expressed determination notwithstanding, it’s hard to believe Republicans really mean it this time. I want to believe. I really do. But Lucy can always be counted on to pull that football away.