Senators of both parties are pushing for U.S. intelligence agencies to assess the danger to the nation's security posed by global warming.

Sens. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., Wednesday introduced legislation that would "require a National Intelligence Estimate to assess the security challenges presented by the world's changing climate," according to a statement from their offices.

National Intelligence Estimates, or NIEs, represent the best information and thinking of the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, distilled by their analysts into a series of key judgments about national security threats and other issues.

The legislation will also fund additional research by the Department of Defense in order to examine the impact of climate change on military operations.

I doubt such assessments would tell us all that much we don't know about global warming -- and I'm not sure today's intelligence agencies have exactly earned our trust -- but I'm fairly certain such NIE's would serve to further move climate change out of the "environmental" ghetto. Militarists could start talking about it too!