"A leading congressional Democrat said President Obama needs to "lay the prestige of the presidency on the line" in his State of the Union address Wednesday and in the months to come on climate change.

'I think the president needs to underscore that climate and energy reform is a priority for 2010, as specifically as possible,' said Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who has been working to build a global warming compromise in the Senate, where legislation remains stalled after passage in the House last year.

'The president has a good story to tell, having personally gone to Copenhagen last month and negotiated an agreement with all the major countries of the world to address climate change. He can remind Congress that he's invested,' he said in a statement.

Obama's speech comes at a critical time for climate and energy policy. Last week, a Republican swept to victory in Massachusetts, taking over the late Sen. Edward Kennedy's seat and eliminating Democrats' filibuster-proof majority. That has ratcheted up speculation about whether Obama should rethink his domestic agenda and toss climate legislation to the wayside."

Christa Marshall reports for ClimateWire January 25, 2010. [2]