As if the country didn’t have enough on its plate, we get this little bit of news. Yahoo reports that the influence of California both within the Obama administration and in both houses of Congress is going to be substantial.

Though it’s a little hard to take, here is a sample of the hyperbole:

Perhaps as important, some of the most critical issues confronting the nation — namely on energy and the environment — are areas where California has been a trailblazing presence.

With Waxman as the new chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, key parts of the Obama agenda on climate change and health care will come under the purview of a man who has spent the last 40 years in the California Assembly and the U.S. House.

“I really do think the Barack Obama agenda is something that has been heavily California-driven, particularly the green environment and green technology stuff where California has been a leader out of necessity because of the environmental issues we confront,” said Cain. “We were once regarded as kind of out there and too soft and too green. All that is now transformed dramatically.”

Great! Just what we need as a role model. A state that can’t balance its budget and has no takers for its debt.