Hussein Criticizes McCain On Offshore Drilling
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Barack Obama on Friday dismissed rival John McCain’s proposal to allow offshore drilling as an election-year conversion, arguing that it will not lower gas prices for families “this year, next year, five years from now.”
The likely Democratic nominee pledged to keep in place the federal government’s 27-year moratorium on offshore drilling, and criticized McCain on changing his position on the matter.
Said Obama: “The politics may have changed but the facts haven’t.”
In McCain’s 2000 campaign, the Republican said he favored the moratorium. This week, he said he supports lifting it to give states the option to drill, and cited as a reason alleviating the pressure on consumers facing high gas prices.
But Obama asserted that opening up the U.S. coastline to oil exploration would not give Americans any short-term appreciable savings.
“John McCain’s proposal, George Bush’s proposal, to drill offshore here in Florida and other places would not provide families any relief this year, next year, five years from now,” he said with Florida coastal waters behind him. “We can’t drill our way out of the problems we’re facing,” he said tapping the podium for emphasis.
Offshore drilling is not popular in many—if any—coastal states, particularly Florida, the presidential swing state that decided the 2000 election and where McCain is favored and Obama is looking to gain ground.
Both Obama and McCain are navigating the tricky political terrain around energy policy as rising gas prices infuriate voters who are largely focused on pocketbook issues in a shaky economy.
In announcing his support of lifting the moratorium, McCain said that with gas prices rising and the country chronically dependent on foreign oil, his proposal would “be very helpful in the short term resolving our energy crisis.”
“With gasoline running at more than four bucks a gallon, many do not have the luxury of waiting on the far-off plans of futurists and politicians. … And I believe it is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions and to put our own reserves to use,” McCain said in a speech this week.
His remarks were aimed at working-class voters, but his proposal no doubt won over big oil companies while infuriating environmentalists.
Obama, for his part, is using an argument similar to what he did during the Democratic primary season when rival Hillary Rodham Clinton followed McCain in calling for a summertime holiday from the federal gas tax.
Now as then, Obama says the proposals are nonsense because they won’t help consumers hurting now.
Earlier, in Chicago, Obama said McCain’s proposal “makes absolutely no sense at all.”
“Even then you’re looking at cents on a gallon of gas,” Obama told Democratic governors at a meeting in his hometown. “Who knows 22 years from now, what would gas be at the pace that we’re going right now?”
Instead, Obama said he would invest $150 billion over the next 10 years to create green jobs, particularly in the automotive industry and to improve the electricity grid so people can drive plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Obama discussed the economy with the 16 Democratic governors. They told him how people in their states are suffering, from high energy and food costs, loss of manufacturing jobs and the housing slump.
“There is a deep recession and frankly I believe it’s gaining momentum,” said New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, who backed Obama’s primary Clinton. “I don’t think we’re half way through.”
Obama said he would work with them on policies that would help, including a plan to spend billions in taxpayer dollars to build roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects that could create jobs and improve transportation routes. Obama asked if they have projects that were ready to go if they had the money, and there were nods and calls of “Absolutely!” around the table.
“Within three months, you could start putting people back to work,” he said.
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin responded, “I think we could put a lot of people back to work in one month. We’re ready.”
(AP)
Get ready to pay through the ass WV…
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I’ve heard all of the Left echoing this same drivel that Obama spews that offshore drilling won’t help now, next week or even as late as 5 years from now.
My question is this. Five years ago when we tried to drill offshore and the Leftists stopped it…wouldn’t now be five years later and it would be making an impact…now?
So, in essence, Obama is saying it’s not a good idea to plan ahead even five years in advance? Is that Leadership?
June 20th, 2008 at 1:32 pmjust giving the ok for offshore drilling would send prices plunging. speculators would sell off immediately after hearing about this. just imagine hearing that soon after, the US would be out of the world market for oil. we have plenty of our own supply and if you cut all the government red tape away from it we could have a massive amount out of the ground quickly.
this guy just doesnt get it. or he is playing politics with all of our livelihoods. its one or the other and they both stink
June 20th, 2008 at 1:35 pmComrade Obama does not understand the free market, free people or free countries. Why would anyone vote for this phoney Marxist?
The US MMS says there is about 124 billion recoverable barrels in US territory. The US has about 400 years supply of coal, the best of which Clinton made a national monument out of it. Anyone who thinks that these resources won’t make a huge difference then they study at Gorbachev GCI for Marxism.
You want energy independence, drill here drill now, pay less — Change you can believe in.
June 20th, 2008 at 1:57 pmHis plan: Instead, Obama said he would invest $150 billion over the next 10 years to create green jobs, particularly in the automotive industry and to improve the electricity grid so people can drive plug-in hybrid vehicles
That obviously won’t change things for ten years. So is his complaint that five years is too fast? I don’t understand his response.
If it takes five years to get off shore oil flowing, it will be because of the four and a half years of fighting (environ)mental(ist)s in court and filling out impact statements.
June 20th, 2008 at 2:03 pmStonewall, stonewall, stonewall…. It is all the Democrats know how to do.
No new nuclear power plants, no new drilling in Anwar or off the coast, no mining the oil shale deposits, no, no, no is all you hear.
Here in Colorado Senator Ken Salazar (goofball) stated that it would be 7 years before our eastern oil shale would be able to be tapped and by then fuel cell technology will be the way things are headed so of course he opposes it. What a dope!!! I don’t think they will be creating fuel cell passenger/cargo planes, trains, ships, trucks and other large commercial vehicles by then. Not to mention all the vehicles used by the military. Really don’t think we will be converting to electric tanks any time soon Mr. Salazar.
Oil will be needed till the end of time and waiting any longer only puts us further behind in the time line of energy independence. You have to pursue multiple avenues with energy if this is our ultimate goal. Pursue wind, geothermal, solar, (especially) nuclear, and OIL at the same time and we will be way ahead of the game. Doesn’t take a friggin’ genius to figure this out which goes to show how dim the Dems are.
Time is now to break down the walls that the Democrats insist on putting up!!
June 20th, 2008 at 2:24 pmSaid Obama: “The politics may have changed but the facts haven’t.”
June 20th, 2008 at 2:35 pmSo Odumbo if the govt 27 years ago would have shot down this moratorium would we be in the mess we are today? Does it not look if continuation of a no drill policy also continues the dependency on foreign oil into the future? We have to start sometime and 09 is too late.
Gov. Jon Corzine is a very unpopular Gov. in NJ. When he was running for Gov. he pledged not to raise taxes. Less than six months into office he raised the income tax 1%. Corzine’s endorsement is worthless.
June 20th, 2008 at 3:12 pm“Obama said he would invest $150 billion over the next 10 years to create green jobs, particularly in the automotive industry and to improve the electricity grid so people can drive plug-in hybrid vehicles.”
Yeah… ask any lib where they think the electricity will come from and you get … shrug shoulders and ‘i dunno’.
June 20th, 2008 at 4:17 pmBarry can’t tell you either. Serious dumbfuckery out of the Dhimmis and it’s only June.
The bitch complains that…
“Now as then, Obama says the proposals are nonsense because they won’t help consumers hurting now.”
But Obambi proposes….
“Instead, Obama said he would invest $150 billion over the next 10 years to create green jobs, particularly in the automotive industry and to improve the electricity grid so people can drive plug-in hybrid vehicles.”
Over 10 years heh?
June 20th, 2008 at 6:59 pmHey, LFT, can you archive this video:
June 20th, 2008 at 9:11 pmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNfRb87dtY4
before the “Obama-Sweepers” suppress or get rid of it?
Please connect the dots if you want to understand the future plans of the greenies and dems. Karl Marx said that to control a nation, you must control its source of energy. The cost of fuel is now disproportionate to the overall cost of living. The cost of fuel now makes too many actions/jobs/efforts too expensive for these to be continued. The amount of capital (profit) that is being derived from the high cost of fuel is not being reinvested in America. Therefore, the high cost becomes not only a drain on the economy but a drain on long term investment in America. The cost of food goes up, life’s expectations go down, the cost of basic survival goes up and there is no end in sight. All of this cause and effect is artificial. It is based on pure speculation, not supply and demand. If jobs cannot be kept in the private sector, then how will wage earners support their families, pay their bills, support the economy and reinvest in themselves by investing in America. Pretty soon, they won’t be able to. The lib-tards have started the first proposal to nationalize the private energy sector. Say goodbye to an economy that is driven by supply and demand, say hello to a centrally controlled economy that will be a failure like the former Soviet Union. Say hello to Obama’s vision of the future of America.
June 20th, 2008 at 10:02 pmObambam’s logic is illogical. Nothing he says or wants to do addresses the real issue, which is to get off of foreign oil altogether. We went through this shit in the 70’s. We set as our goals getting off of foreign oil and generating power with alternative sources such as nuclear, wind, water and coal.
BTW, we own 1/3 of the world’s resouces in coal. Synthetic fuels were produced by South Africa and by Germany in WWII.
Synthetic fuel production is vialble once oil passes 55.00/barrel.
We have tons of fuel reserves that we haven’t tapped into because Peloski &Co are sucking gaia’s ass.
We need a Manhatten Project for energy independence and GW needs to recind BillyBobs Executive Order on ANWAR drilling.
Hey, but keep electing Dhimoids people. These are the mindless fucks that keep your taxes high and energy independence focussed on short-term solutions.
Yeah, keep paying the jizya by electing BHO and keeping the current crop of Defeat-o-rats in power.
Maybe America will wake up when OPEC cuts us off like they did in the 70’s. Back then we only imported 30% of our oil.
June 21st, 2008 at 7:50 amWanna guess what that per centage is now?
“…GW needs to recind BillyBobs Executive Order on ANWAR drilling.”
There’s no reason for GW NOT to do this other than election politics. It would give the Dhimmis a rallying issue that Republicans will even drill in Wildlife Reserves and that *might* negatively impact the very recent success at converting the general public to the need to drill.
June 21st, 2008 at 8:36 am