The Trail: A Daily Diary of Campaign 2008

Ken Williamson makes so good points about this on http://www.posterspost.com.

He makes a good case for drilling.

The point is, we have no choice but to drill if we continue driving our vehicles.

Drill for oil now. Help lower gasoline prices for the American people.

Another political pandering gone berserk!

It's about time the drilling begins. If the Democrats continue to block this in the house then it is apparent that they are the cause of todays high gas prices. And anyone who is a Democrat is for high gas prices!

The effort to get off shore drilling and too open up other restricted drilling areas has been, in my estimation, a big part in the continual rise in gas prices. Supported by the Bush and Cheney bunch the oil companies have conspired to push the prices up so the American people will force the government to open these areas up. This needs to be done before Bush and Cheney are out of the White House. I agree we need to open up some of the areas and do more for ourselves but I can not appreciate the way the oil companies and Bush/Cheney have conspired to get this access.

This is typical double speak we see in politics these days and amounts to nothing more than Another Republican Fear Campaign similar to the first Stolen election in Florida. The cost of drilling would far out weigh the result. It like John boy McCain says is a "SHORT Term" objective. I guess that is what happens when we grow old. We can't see beyond our own nose or Our Bank Account? Fix the real problem, Corporate Price Fixing and intentional shortages. Keep tampering with Mother Nature and suffer Her wrath, More Floods, Tornado's. You Freely chop down Trees, the Lungs of Our Planet. People Look around!! A blind person can see Why we are in this Mess. Numbers do Not Lie. Follow the money to V.P.'s Bank account! Do Any of you Washington D.C. Politicians have ANY BALLS left to do the Right Thing? You folks are Vomiting all over your shoes and your Words Stink!!!

McBush said that the end of Iraq was right around the corner, too: The cost of gas is not going down. They'll rip up the country to find the last few gallons to line their pockets. Meanwhile, it's just a drop in the consumption bucket to us. Meanwhile, our consumption continues to dirty the air. Europe, China and India will beat us to running on solar, and they'll laugh at Americans for paying through the nose for oil they didn't need to buy. We put a man on the moon. We could have started going alternative 30 years ago. Sunlight, wind and waves are free.

At our current rate of usage the oil in that deposit will last at best two years and at worst two months. It's not worth it.

Cryos, you picked up on only the GM issue.
Lewts go back to post WWII when GM and Goodyear partnered up and convinced cities all across the U.S. that the trolley systems were only clogging the arteries inthe cities and the cure was busses.

Now for the real issue and that is energy. If you listen to the coal comercials, coal is the clean energy we need. If you listen to Boeing they only build planes for you. Cadillac shows off how quick it leaves the line and can suck the wind out of a tunnel.

It took Honda, a scooter manufacturer to show the big 3 how to clean emissions and preserve horsepower. Their first cars had scooter size wheels.

If the big 3 are hurting because they pay, you say $1500 in benefits, what do Toyota, Honda and Datsun pay at their assembly plants. If it's so unprofitable why do the foriegn car makers keep building plants here.

The big 3 insist on building gas guzzlers while the foriegn cars are building fuel effcient vehicles, they have been for 30 years while the big 3 increased the number of cup holders. A 5000lb SUV that gives a 5ft 100lb female the same macho power as a 300lb linebacker. If they didn't build them, then they couldn't buy em.

Anyway the issue is offshore and reserves and should they develope them. Even if they could bring up the oil right now, who and how can they turn it into gasoline and heating oil? And how much oil is in those untapped reserves?

The oil companies are exporting about 10% of Alaska's oil. Their also geared to refining a greater amount of desiel then gasoline from a barrel because the profit is higher and the trucking industry don't have an alternative fuel right now.

One last point, if we produced enough oil to satisfy current needs, we'd end up like we did in the 80s. We got use to the 75c gas of the 80s and $1.25 gas in the 90s. We need the high cost to force the HumVees and SUVs off the market place.

Thanks, Walter.

If Clinto wouldn't have voted against drilling in '95, we wouldn't be having this crisis right now. I think its awesome Mccain is for drilling here in the usa...finally! I saw a few comments (and heard obama state) that the cost will not go down very much for several years....I don't really think the cost is the issue here, its our dependence on the middle east for oil, the only thing we need them for! If we cut that out, they will not have an inflow of money from us to fuel their terrorism. Also, I think the biggest issue in america right now is dependence on other countries (mainly the middle east and asia). This would be a major way to make a statement and begin to work within ourselves, independently. We have so many resources here, lets use them!!!

Subject energy:

I am tired of the lies I here from the democratic party to justify our nation being held hostage by the environmental groups. We need to solve this problem of high cost of energy and all we get from congress is you can not drill, no more nuclear power plants, and a moratorium on coal fired power plants. We also need bio fuels, electrical powered cars, solar, wind, geothermal, we need all varieties of energy development. I listened to and saw the hearing and heard the lies of the democratic house leadership. We have more hydrocarbon reserves in our own Rocky Mountains then any other nation of the world. I see no problem with drilling in the Arctic National Wild Life Reserve as the justification for not doing so is a pack of lies, and the typical swindle of the public trust by the democrats, that they are so noted for, when they condemn the rights of the people to enforce public behavior control.
What a joke on the American People when we here that guy, Senator Obama say " Yes We Can" , in truth he actually meant no you can't at least that is what the rest of the folks of his party in congress do.
The Democrats blame the president and the Republicans, justifiably so, but there is an old axiom " If you are not part of the solution then you are part of the problem" The Democratic congress is a major part of the problem as they try to stall the solution of this problem off till the next congress and a new president where they will have there way to say " No You Can't".
The economy is hurting now, the high cost of gas is taking food from the mouths of people. We cannot afford to wait till the presidential election. Maybe the best thing we the people can do is give the congress an enema in November, flush the incumbents out of office.

Walter you seem to focus on US companies. That was a valid argument 30 years ago but with globalism the field has changed. It is no longer "corporations against the people" it is US corporations versus foreign competition. In many countries they support business rather than heavily tax it which makes it hard on US companies. We have the 2nd highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world behind Japan.

Funny how Geo Metros were out for a long time got 50 miles to the gallon for a cheap price but didn't sell too well. And it's funny how the Japanese cars' gas mileage has gone down over the years as they've accomodated bigger is better mentality of Americans. Companies need to make money and their decisions are often based on the views of consumers since they would go bankrupt promoting "feel good" products that people don't want.

GM for example requires $1500 per vehicle to pay for employees pensions and health care, but I bet consumers don't care enough about the extra benefits the workers have received to pay an extra $1500 at the dealership for the same vehicle.

Consumers like to complain about how American companies are making cheap products and ripping people off yet when consumers go to the store they look for the lowest price tag and suddenly their concerns of slave labor, unions, etc go out the window. The best way to change the habits of companies would be for consumers to demonstrate things matter other than the bottom line.

Steve, so the following qualifies as long term economic stability and security?

"Cyros is with OPEC, they want us to use up our oil first-at low prices."

"Nothing like selling out the U.S. If you think oil is expensive now use up our oil first then go ask OPEC for cheap oil. Every barrel of our oil used increases OPEC's pricing power. Want to change the balance of military power in the world-reduce the oil reserves available to the U.S."

Sorry but I fail to see the point. If it takes 10+ years to actually use the oil in the ground what good does it do to control pricing? OPEC knows we can't touch that oil for 10+ years why would it do any good?

I'm not talking about "using up all of our oil." I'm talking about sensible drilling into some of our known oil reserves while encouraging conservation and realistic alternative energy going forward. It will take all of these measures for long term economic stability and security.

Drill here, Drill now. There is NO global warming due to man. Nobody has "forced" the consumer to purchase gas guzzlers. Big Oil may hold leases, is there oil on them? Offshore oil/gas rigs enhance the quality of marine life, they are eco-systems that CREATE and SUPPORT new marine life. We have BILLIONS of barrels of recoverable oil and gas here on US soil, how does that not help our dependence on foreign sources? Cuba has granted leases to Canada, Mexico and China; they may not be drilling yet but they will. This has nothing to do with Republican or Democrat, conservative, liberal or independant. It has everything to do with doing what WE need to do to preserve our country and our way of life! Change is all we'll have left if Obama gets his progressive, marxist,communist agenda.

All this fuss over drilling is so much BS.

Even if all those potential sites were producing it wouldn't add more than 2% to our daily consumtion. Not only that the next question is who and how is it going to be refined?

Did you know that about 10% of the Alaska output is shipped overseas and production is geared for deisel fuel.

The truth is GM, Ford, Chrysler continue to force gas pigs on us, The deal is if it's big and classified as a truck, it needs bigger and more expensive tires and burn more gas with little restrictions.

When the big 3 said they couldn't make cleaner without sacraficing fuel economy, Japan stepped in to show them up.

U.S. corporations have been wipping one anothers rears so they can continue to bleed the U.S. consumers, and taught the finacial institutions how to do the same.

We're almost there. There's very little blood left in the general publics lives.

They've exported every good paying job for the working class. Next...Order your burger and fries from someone overseas? No more cashiers needed. RFID will bill your credit card or bank.

If there is anything left, someone in Washington will figure away to give it to their lobby crony friends.

resorting to name calling are we?

glad to see you recognize arguments for long term economic stability and long term security for the US a liberal viewpoint

Sigh more mindless babbling. I guess there aren't any intelligent liberals reading this article. For a party who claims to be educated "intellectuals" you sure appear to fall short in that department.

We need to trash the environment, or else you might have to drive a compact care.

Flip Flop, this is such a joke. most of the problem is from refining capacity.

econ 101, monopolies win

Lol Steve and YoungatHeart prove my point. Can someone other than liberaltools reply to this thread?

So YoungAtHeart there is no shortage of oil? The figures show that there is a daily demand of 86.5 million barrels and a daily supply of 85 million barrels. I guess I don't see how the supply being smaller than the demand means there is not a supply problem. Maybe I didn't learn much from Econ 101.

And the oil companies refusing to build refineries? What a joke. You really need to do research on that issue and find the real impediments to building refineries.

There is no shortage of crude oil (in the next few years). There is a shortage of refining capacity - which has been purposely curtailed for decades by the oil industry to bid up prices.

For the GOP to now say that the solution is to let big-oil drill on public property and keep the revenues/profits is essentially theft of our national heritage.

McCain's policies are written by oil lobbyists, who lie about the real problem. Get rid of them and we can finally see positive change.

Cyros is with OPEC, they want us to use up our oil first-at low prices.

I beg for someone to please respond to my comments regarding oil production with a logical response or argument.

On issues I take a "conservative stance" I have had a harder and harder time finding good liberal debate. There are good counterarguments to most things but unfortunately more and more liberals seem to resort to name calling, "you're a Bushie or paid off by Big Oil", etc. Please an intelligent response anyone :)

Jeff you seem to claim McCain is using "Rush talking points."

Do you care to refute or respond to any of my statements about oil production or are you just going to regurgitate mindless rambles from you liberal masters?

what about the devaluation of the dollar?

mccain sounds like HE'S taking the talking points from rush limbaugh now....

Yep right on Bill.

I'll address a couple of other points that always get brought up.

1. Oil companies have very comprehensive plans to ensure environmental safety with oil drilling and refining in recent years. They set aside hundreds of millions or billions of dollars per project for project cleanup in case there are problems.

2. If drilling is so bad for the environment why is it that countries with strict environmental standards like Canada and Denmark aggressively drill oil in their territories?

3. Oil is not limited to just vehicles. Hydrocarbons are used all over the place in plastics, cosmetics, etc so even if we got all vehicles off of gasoline we would still need oil for many other purposes.

BTW I am not some "Big Oil stooge" or whatever names I will be called. I am a moderate who is a realist and am tired of us shooting ourselves in the foot constantly to try to live up to some unrealistic ideal.

"We are kidding ourselves if we think we can drill our way out of these problems," House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey, D-Wis., said during the bill mark-up session. And yet, the House voted to sue OPEC for not producing more oil.

The most extreme version of arrogance is when you sue OPEC for something you are not willing to do: Produce more oil.

And statements like this are pretty ridiculous to those other than idealists.

"What will it take for the oil companies to consider themselves 'energy producers' and begin to diversify into other energy sources?"

They are OIL companies. They are good at finding, producing and processing OIL. Leave them to work with OIL which is THEIR SPECIALTY.

If you want companies to research alternative fuels then start up companies. fund current companies, etc. The lack of logic in these statements is amazing. Just because a company is good at utilizing one source of energy doesn't mean they will be as good at others.

It's been pretty sad the last 10-15 years to see liberals lose their independance and free thought and become what they labal conservatives; intolerant, unquestionable and merely puppets parroting their politicians views.

It's sad how the liberals on this post can't see logic. "McCain is right wing now." Get a clue.

If we had been building nuclear power plants, oil refineries and drilling for oil the last 20-30 years we wouldn't be in this bad of a prediciment. I know the environmentalists don't want to hear that answer but more people need to realize sometimes REALITY has to trump ideals.

I respect the environmentalists who actually conserve and practice what they preach, but it seems more recently all liberals have tried to become the new Al Gore environmentalists where they blindly follow liberal policy and try to tell everyone else how to live without doing it themselves.

The arguments "it won't help us now" are pretty amusing. It's that shortsightedness over the last 30 years that has gotten us to where we are now. Unfortunately that simple bit of logic will probably fail to sink in.

I love the GOP really taking the energy independence bull by the horns. You know, like they did 30 years ago when Carter urged energy independence, and Reagan said build them SUV's!

If we started drilling offshore and in the Artic today we would not get any oil for quite some time. It would not result in any appreciable price drop for the US. It would not reduce global demand. It's stupid.

What will it take for the oil companies to consider themselves 'energy producers' and begin to diversify into other energy sources?

Typical election year bullcrap from both parties, tell the voter what he wants to hear and after the election go back to old beliefs. I have stoped all contributions to politicians and the parties, I now put that donation money in my cars gas tank, at least I get somewhere with it !

I laugh at people who scream ALTERNATIVE ENERGY while driving their SUV

Nothing like selling out the U.S. If you think oil is expensive now use up our oil first then go ask OPEC for cheap oil. Every barrel of our oil used increases OPEC's pricing power. Want to change the balance of military power in the world-reduce the oil reserves available to the U.S.

Nice try gramps - keep screamin' at that cloud. What do you expect from graduate #894 out of 899?

http://www.geocities.com/sciliterature/Climate.htm

It is already too late. It would be fifteen years or more before it could even begin to pay off not to mention we can't even refine it. I don't know your age but it may not happen in your life time if at all. Same with nuclear. It take ten years to build one plant and it would take years just to get it started. Again we would be looking at 15 to 20 years. We are like the grasshopper in the fable, we have just fiddled too long and now will have to pay the price. No one running can actually do anything that can help the current generation, just future generations, maybe. Next time you buy gas just know it will probably be the lowest price you ever pay.

++++++++++
At least McCain has brought up the subject of offshore drilling. Let's debate the issue and let the people decide. Their choice in the short term should be easy. If asked, "Do you want to park your car and ride a bike to work in the heat, snow, wind and rain?" "Or, would you rather have the US produce oil so prices can drop?" Given the choice, the people will say drill. The next step is to solve the problem in the near/long term and work for cleaner, alternative energy. That sounds reasonable to me, but I'm not a politician or an environmentalist who sees danger in every proposal that might make sense.

Posted by: Jeff in Orlando | June 16, 2008 8:19 PM

How are we going to refine it?

======
I will vote for a president that allows the United States to produce it's own oil! I am sick and tired of depending on foreign oil.

Posted by: sandra | June 17, 2008 1:10 AM

I will vote for a president that allows the United States to produce it's own oil! I am sick and tired of depending on foreign oil.

McCain's campaign's lobbyists rear there ugly head. lets use gas prices as an excuse to trash the ocean.

@ Steve Martin:

you wrote: "I believe I heard or read that the Watts the black Congressman or former Congressman who is a conservative Republican now says he'll vote for Obama since he's black."

You believe you heard or read...that's some great attribution there. On to a professorship at the Columbia School of Journalism for you. Get thee hence!

Drill Here, Drill Now, Just Like McCain Drilled His Lobbyist

Steve Boyington: Your forgot that crazy state of California; there's lots of oil offshore there and they won't let anyone drill but do they love to drive. You named all the good states but forgot the left coast.

DRILL HERE. DRILL NOW. PAY LESS.

WWW.HANNITY.COM

JOIN THE PETITION NOW.

Why worry about gas prices? After Nov. if Obama wins, the Middle East will make sure the prices go down. They want Obama in the office of the presidency and commander in chief. Figure it out: prices started going up when Obama became one of two candidates to win the Democratic nomination; then Obama won and in a day the price of a barrel of oil went up over $10. Don't you think the Middle East had something to do with this?

I believe I heard or read that the Watts the black Congressman or former Congressman who is a conservative Republican now says he'll vote for Obama since he's black. Now, isn't that dandy, a true racist. The blacks are more racist than the whites, supporting Obama over 90+%. They care about race rather than issues.

I agree with one of the comments. Let each state decide. If California (they LOVE their cars and drive everywhere) don't want to drill offshore, they can walk. Same for every other coastal city, etc.

It seems that now fuel prices are reaching record highs with no sign of stopping, it seems that there are going to be alternative and very lucrative markets in "green fuels", bio fuels. Though current methods of harvesting corn ethanol produce a marginal amount of fuels, the future is going to be the harvesting of simple algea. Algae is a microscopic form of life that reproduces quickly and can be harvested for different fuels as well as plastics, fertilizers and animal feed. Several methods are being tested to find the most practical way of producing the stuff. An optimistic estimate says you could get 22, 000 galons of fuel per acre. I think the age of fossil fuels are over now that we have a bio fuel that we can produce in mass amounts.
Here are some web links so you can look into it yourself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_fuel

if you have high speed internet, here are some videos.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=%22green+fuel%22&sitesearch=#

Reasons not to Vote for MEGA-BAM (OBAMA)

1. He hates America but "acts" patriotic. (52 Sundays x 20 Years = 1,040 Anti-American Sermons.)

2. There has only been 1 Black U.S. Governor until last year. The 1st had a 4 year term, the 2nd just started.

3. There has NEVER been a Black U.S. Multi-Billionaire in the history of America. The U.S.A. is a Multi-Trillion Dollar Country (Business) and Oprah is the best African American Businessman in America.

4. He wants to pull out of Iraq. We can't! Why because we'll be attacked far worse than 9/11. Did America forget about 9/11?
No one in those towers wanted to die either! We have to suck it up.

5. Obama has no original change. All of his change is copied and then he "changes" the wording.

6. He hates America! He's a DECEPTICON! Wake up Generation "Z"~! Get it, yes Generation Z, the last letter in the English Alphabet! WAKE UP!

7. MCCAIN

Before you think I'm a racist, please for America's sake; GOOGLE for Black Multi-Billionaires! Their first Billionaire was in 2001, and Oprah Winfrey has the most money of any Black in America! The 2 Rice, Sugar, Flour Dealers in Africa don't count!

GOOGLE for Black Governors! Governors are mini-presidents, they need to have many more before they can be president!

After the Race Card has been played over and over again. I decided to actually look.
This is why Obama does not want race an issue. Blacks have missed 2 big steps, especially achieving Multi-Billionaire status in the LAND OF OPPORTUNITY~!

We need to have Marvel do the Transformer Comics Over! Take Megatron out and "change" it to Megabam!

Let's see... where would those offshore drilling thingies be... off the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, maybe the Carolinas. No pandering here to his base of donors at all.

It is worth repeating that these fields would not help supply for 10 years or more... and would NOT reduce prices. What they would do is give some sense of security to the minor finds, in that they would be here and protected from political instability. It is also worth repeating that the most rosy estimates for new oil production do not come close to the amount of demand that could be reduced by common-sense conservation.

At some point the people will begin to conserve; we don't need the government to tell us to be smart about that. You wanna save money on gas and heating your house? Easiest way is to get a car with better gas mileage, drive less and live in a smaller, more efficient home.

I don't have problems with more drilling; our permitting process is pretty good about ensuring that only the most profitable fields would be tapped; it is just too expensive to do otherwise. I'd make sure the states and the EPA had plenty of input into where, how and how safe.

Its about time he says something of value. Maybe he can use all the illegals he wants to give Amnesty to drill for the oil. He probably thinks the jobs created by drilling is something that average Americans are too lazy to do. This guy is a real piece of work. How in the fudge did he actually end up running as our presidential candidate. He's getting out classed by a Marxist Black Liberation theorist using the same populist message the National Socialist Party used to elect Hitler.

At least McCain has brought up the subject of offshore drilling. Let's debate the issue and let the people decide. Their choice in the short term should be easy. If asked, "Do you want to park your car and ride a bike to work in the heat, snow, wind and rain?" "Or, would you rather have the US produce oil so prices can drop?" Given the choice, the people will say drill. The next step is to solve the problem in the near/long term and work for cleaner, alternative energy. That sounds reasonable to me, but I'm not a politician or an environmentalist who sees danger in every proposal that might make sense.

When was the last time there was an offshore drilling accident off the U.S. coast which caused environmental damage?

1969?

We've been drilling in the Gulf of Mexico during all of that time, and no environmental disasters have occurred; and it's not like there haven't been major hurricanes during those decades either.

Also, the safety technology has to have improved during that time.

Somebody please tell me why drilling off the U.S. coast is so horrendous.

Posted by: RichinFla. | June 16, 2008 5:25 PM
The chinese are already drilling in the Atlantic in international waters off of the USA's east coast... and we can't??

Great point, RichinFla... except that it's just another Republican talking point that is completely untrue, i.e., a lie.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/40776.html

HonestAbe- Don't know anything about THAT, BUT, here is a FACT:

The VICE President is the one who stays around the Beltway. The VICE President is the 51Rst Senator. The Vice President, thanks in no small way to the Dick Cheney, is a well protected and competent key player involved in the Security of the Nation!

I have asked it before, and I ask it again, of John "Ego-Tripping" McCain;

When 911 was occurring Senator McCain, would have preferred to be Bushie, reading "My Pet Goat" to School Children, or Darth Cheney back in the White House HANDLING things?

Just as slightly infirm Cheney has been a FORMIDABLE Veep, Senator McCain would as well!

I wish we could change the Name of the Position. Maybe something like Washington's Baby Sitter!

Children-That means YOU Billary and O'Bomba, B-have! ;~)

Mitt Romney is of course the PERFECT Statesman! :-)

One day he is trying to distance himself from Bush, the next day he is trying to show how much of a conservative he is. John McCain is confused.

Speculation is growing that McCain is being pressured by party big wigs to drop out "due to health reasons" to be replaced by a more viable candidate. Developing.

Flipper flopper.

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Yeah don't increase supply to meet demand; that is a logical republican solution. Instead babble about alternative energy, none of which is cost effective yet, and force private industry to subsidize the costs so you don't need to put it on the federal budget. That's a democrat solution for ya.
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The problem is that even with the increased domestic drilling & production, global supply would be barely touched. Then, if OPEC wanted to play games and cut their production at the same time, the price of oil wouldn't budge. Just because the problem is lack of supply doesn't mean the solution isn't cutting demand.

Same old thinking. Same old Republican Party. McCain is exactly identical to Bush. There is no difference. Thirty years ago I was 18 standing in line for hours waiting for gas. I thought things would change by the early 80's. How about investing in new technology. Japan and EU countries are going to leave us in the dust. McCain is toast. I am registering as an independent this week - switching from my life long Republican Party

LOL! :-D

Who wants to bet, even the Environmentalists are just a little more willing to allow Refineries, Coil-Oil, and State Controlled Offshore?

OPEC needs a Blow or two! Bushie, needs to stop Rattling Sabers! Fight, and QUICKLY, or KNOCK IT OFF! The Suspense has DOUBLED the cost of OIL! Iran HAS to be Laughing their F'g Butts Off! :-(

Accessing untapped oil fields would not show a return in volume for years. Moreover, we would do well to increase the number of refineries here in the US.

So, we can do the same old thing that is ineffective in the short term and terribly harmful in the long term by, oh my how novel, drilling for oil. On the other had, we could invest in a future of smarter energy policy and a cleaner environment by continuing (and increasing) R&D for alternate energy sources.

Science is our friend, and the Bush administration has treated science like the proverbial red-headed step child.

This is a blatant flip-flop for this dedicated "environmentalist." The maverick label is long gone from McCain. Interesting, considering he needs to get away from Bush and the GOP in order to win this fall.

http://www.political-buzz.com/

This is perfect utilization of a wedge issue to split lunch bucket Democrats away from the elitist leadership. Way to go, John.

RichinFla. wrote "The chinese are already drilling in the Atlantic in international waters off of the USA's east coast... and we can't??"

Go cry to the Bush administration, which is allowing China to run rampant across the globe in terms of securing mineral and resource rights. Hey, they're free to do it, but I don't think the Bush admin. has to be such a doormat about it. Oh, wait, the Chinese are funding our debt so we can continue this excruciatingly stupid war, so I guess they can't make a peep.

The best Bush and co. can hope for is to keep selling arms and weapons systems to Saudi Arabia and hope they cut us some slack on oil prices for a few more months.

The chinese are already drilling in the Atlantic in international waters off of the USA's east coast... and we can't??

What a simplistic and childish solution, perfect for a simplistic and childish candidate! I'm sure the oil companies are thrilled.

Yeah don't increase supply to meet demand; that is a logical republican solution. Instead babble about alternative energy, none of which is cost effective yet, and force private industry to subsidize the costs so you don't need to put it on the federal budget. That's a democrat solution for ya.

Is it becoming clear which side of the party he's ending up on?

This guy McCain is a real throw-back, isn't he? How about some forward thinking, enlightened leadership. If the Republicans hadn't made environmentalism part of their "culture war" strategy, America, like the rest of the world, would have been investing mass transit and trains and other alternatives to fossil fuels. I heard coal is good way to heat your house! Good grief!

Conservatives are going to beat McCain into submission. All McCain's centrist talk will be a waste of time in short order. The right wing has shown they are far too hostile and dogmatic to support a candidate that doesn't fall in line.