Austin American-Statesman
06/18/08
President Bush, reversing a long-standing position, will call on Congress today to end a federal ban on offshore oil drilling on most of the outer continental shelf, according to White House officials who say Bush wants to work with states to determine where drilling should occur. … the topic of offshore drilling has been a sensitive one in the Bush family. Bush’s father as president signed an executive order in 1990 banning coastal oil exploration, and Bush’s brother Jeb was an outspoken opponent of offshore drilling when he was Florida’s governor...
http://tinyurl.com/6952tp
McCain on offshore drilling: a sad (and costly?) saga
Mother Jones
by Jonathan Stein
06/17/08
The easiest point to make about John McCain’s recently declared support for offshore drilling is that it is a flip-flop. When McCain ran for president in 1999, he supported the current moratorium on offshore drilling, slated to last until 2012. But speaking in the Washington area on Monday, McCain said, ‘There are areas off our coasts that should be open to exploration and exploitation, and I hope we can take the first step by lifting the moratoria.’ McCain added that drilling ‘would be very helpful in the short term in resolving our energy crisis.’ It’s hard to blame anyone for changing his or her positions on energy issues over the past eight years — markets have changed, America’s energy needs have changed, and prices have certainly changed. Even many Democrats have altered their positions on energy; most are much more supportive of climate change legislation than they once were. You can blame McCain, however, for switching to the wrong position...
http://tinyurl.com/4x5fz2
Straightening out McCain’s Straight Talk
Slate
by John Dickerson
06/17/08
The energy plan was supposed to showcase both McCain’s boldness in facing hard problems and his party-challenging, solutions-oriented approach. An ad released along with the kickoff speech heralded the fight McCain had with his party five years ago over whether to confront the challenges of global warming. (Did I mention that today was supposed to be about being bold?) Instead, critics won ammunition for a line of attack they’ve been pushing for the last year and a half. ‘I think John McCain has exhibited the ongoing debate in his own campaign between John McCain and John McCain,’ said John Kerry, no doubt relishing the chance to tar a Republican with the brush that killed him. ‘You don’t know what he means on torture, taxes, tolerance of Jerry Falwell, changed on drilling. … Here you have a flip-flop by John McCain, flipping to the right and then flipping backwards.’ Whether this bungled start does sustained damage depends on the durability of McCain’s Straight Talk brand...
http://www.slate.com/id/2193749/
States weigh options in offshore oil fight
MSNBC
06/18/08
Governors in some coastal states promised to block attempts to tap offshore petroleum reserves, citing concerns about the environment and tourism. Others agreed with President Bush’s call to lift a 27-year-old federal ban on offshore drilling but said states should decide whether to allow it. Bush on Wednesday joined Republican presidential candidate John McCain in calling for the lifting of a prohibition on drilling along the East and West coasts and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25252119/
Informant: Thomas L. Knapp
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Finding the Truth: A Response to President Bush's June 18, 2008 Speech Calling for More Domestic Drilling of Oil and Natural Gas
http://www.commondreams.org/news2008/0618-14.htm
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McCain Wants to Drill in Your Toilet
"That is not true, as far I know," writes Truthout contributor Dean Baker, "but it makes about as much sense as McCain's plans to drill off the coast of Florida and in other environmentally sensitive areas. This is McCain's response to the pain of millions of families hit by $4 a gallon of gas. While the pain is real, the former straight-talker's plan will not help, and he knows it. The facts on this one are clear: There is just not that much oil in these restricted offshore areas. Furthermore, we will not see any oil for close to a decade. This means drilling for oil in these restricted areas will do absolutely nothing for people struggling to pay their bills now and, in fact, it will provide zero relief throughout the next two presidential terms of office."
http://www.truthout.org/article/john-mccain-wants-drill-your-toilet
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Just Say NO to Offshore Drilling
http://usactions.greenpeace.org/action/start.php?action_id=200
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=offshore
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=drilling
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=McCain
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Jonathan+Stein
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=John+Dickerson
http://freepage.twoday.net/search?q=Dean+Baker
