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[csumerall]

By MIKE GLOVER

(AP) Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks at a town hall meeting in St....ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday he would be willing to support limited additional offshore oil drilling if that's what it takes to enact a comprehensive policy to foster fuel-efficient autos and develop alternate energy sources.

Shifting from his previous opposition to expanded offshore drilling, the Illinois senator told a Florida newspaper he could get behind a compromise with Republicans and oil companies to prevent gridlock over energy.

Republican rival John McCain, who earlier dropped his opposition to offshore drilling, has been criticizing Obama on the stump and in broadcast ads for clinging to his opposition as gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon. Polls indicate these attacks have helped McCain gain ground on Obama.

"My interest is in making sure we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," Obama said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post.


(AP) Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. acknowledges an audience member's...
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"If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage - I don't want to be so rigid that we can't get something done."

Asked about Obama's comment, McCain said, "We need oil drilling and we need it now offshore. He has consistently opposed it. He has opposed nuclear power. He has opposed reprocessing. He has opposed storage." The GOP candidate said Obama doesn't have a plan equal to the nation's energy challenges.

In Congress, both parties have fought bitterly over energy policy for weeks, with Republicans pressing for more domestic oil drilling and Democrats railing about oil company profits. Despite hundreds of hours of House and Senate floor debate, lawmakers will leave Washington for their five-week summer hiatus this week with an empty tank.

"The Republicans and the oil companies have been really beating the drums on drilling," Obama said in the Post interview. "And so we don't want gridlock. We want to get something done."

Later, Obama issued a written statement warmly welcoming a proposal sent to Senate leaders Friday by 10 senators - five from each party. Their proposal seeks to break the impasse over offshore oil development and is expected to be examined more closely in September after Congress returns from its summer recess.


(AP) Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. answers an audience member's question,...
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The so-called Gang of 10 plan would lift drilling bans in the eastern Gulf of Mexico within 50 miles of Florida's beaches and in the South Atlantic off Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia, but only if a state agrees to the oil and gas development along its coast. The states would share in revenues from oil and gas development.

Drilling bans along the Pacific coast and the Northeast would remain in place under this compromise.

The plan also includes energy initiatives Obama has endorsed. "It would repeal tax breaks for oil companies so that we can invest billions in fuel-efficient cars, help our automakers re-tool, and make a genuine commitment to renewable sources of energy like wind power, solar power, and the next generation of clean, affordable biofuels," Obama noted.

"Like all compromises, it also includes steps that I haven't always supported," Obama conceded. "I remain skeptical that new offshore drilling will bring down gas prices in the short-term or significantly reduce our oil dependence in the long-term, though I do welcome the establishment of a process that will allow us to make future drilling decisions based on science and fact."

Nevertheless, Obama said the plan, put forward by mostly moderates and conservatives led by Sens. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., "represents a good faith effort at a new bipartisan beginning."

Earlier in the day, Obama pushed for a windfall profits tax to fund $1,000 emergency rebate checks for consumers besieged by high energy costs, a counter to McCain's call for more offshore drilling.

The pitch for putting some of the economic burden of $4-a-gallon gasoline on the oil industry served a dual purpose for Obama: It allowed him to talk up an economic issue, seen by many as a strength for Democrats and a weakness for Republicans, and at the same time respond to criticism from McCain that Obama's opposition to offshore drilling leads to higher prices at the pump.

In linking McCain to the unpopular President Bush, Obama struck a theme from Ronald Reagan's successful 1980 campaign against President Jimmy Carter by asking a town-hall audience in St. Petersburg: "Do you think you are better off than you were four years ago or eight years ago? If you aren't better off, can you afford another four years?"

Obama primed the crowd by noting new government figures showing 51,000 jobs lost last month and citing 460,000 jobs lost over the last seven months. He tied other bad economic news from the Bush administration to McCain and offered his energy program as one route to relief.

"This rebate will be enough to offset the increased cost of gas for a working family over the next four months," Obama said during a two-day campaign swing in Florida. "It will be enough to cover the entire increase in your heating bills. Or you could use the rebate for any of your other bills, or even to pay down your own debt."

[expatriate]

Trust me -- the Ministry of Truth (see Orwell) will assert that this is not a flip-flop, but in fact represents the position he has always had.

[csumerall]

Just like the Iraq time line. Its just ironic due to the fact that he says almost nothing and then when he does make a statement he waffles(I mean refines)his position.

[civetcat]

I think it's called a compromise. Something we need more of in DC to get things done.

What's being traded?

Some offshore drilling of negligable environmental impact in those states that wish to allow it.

For...

Repeal of tax breaks for record proffit reporting oil companies

Investments in renewables.

Re tooling car companies for feul efficinient cars.

The cost of oil isn't determined by wether the US drills some more or not, but by the world demand.

Senators and Congressman working together is a good thing not a bad one.

Off topic but re Iraq timeline there have been some 180 degree turns of late, (flip flop, flip flop, flip flop) notably President Bush and John McCain. McCains problem was that the Iraqi Prime Minister and President Bush and Obama all were endorsing time lines of around 16 months.

Whatever happened to surrender and appeasment? I guess they don't call it that anymore.

[expatriate]

See, there's the problem I have with Democrats -- thinking it's the government's responsibility to retool car manufacturers. It's not. That may be true in a socialist society, but in America we let market forces drive things like that. American manufacturers need to adapt, and it's not the government's job to do it for them.

The cost of oil is driven by supply and demand, not just demand.

Senators and congressmen working together? The chance of that happening under Obama are about as likely as Chuck Schumer joining the NRA. Getting the two parties to work together will require extensive knowledge of the inner workings of government -- of which Obama has almost none, and executive leadership, of which he's totally lacking.

As far as the Iraq timeline, Bush's position hasn't wavered. He's always said that we would withdraw when conditions warrant. Big difference. Bush is talking withdrawal because violence in Iraq has dropped significantly, Iraqi forces are carrying more of the load, and the Iraqis are signalling that they're ready to start transitioning to life without us. That's consistent with what he's said all along. Obama, on the other hand, was calling the surge a failure even before it got up to speed, and wanted to withdraw regardless of conditions.

There's a big difference between walking off the field at the end of the game vs walking off in the third quarter.

As I said, Obama's an armchair quarterback. That may work in a campaign, but not in office.

[csumerall]

civetcat wrote: I think it's called a compromise. Something we need more of in DC to get things done.

What's being traded?

Some offshore drilling of negligable environmental impact in those states that wish to allow it.

For...

Repeal of tax breaks for record proffit reporting oil companies

Investments in renewables.

Re tooling car companies for feul efficinient cars.

The cost of oil isn't determined by wether the US drills some more or not, but by the world demand.

Senators and Congressman working together is a good thing not a bad one.

Off topic but re Iraq timeline there have been some 180 degree turns of late, (flip flop, flip flop, flip flop) notably President Bush and John McCain. McCains problem was that the Iraqi Prime Minister and President Bush and Obama all were endorsing time lines of around 16 months.

Whatever happened to surrender and appeasment? I guess they don't call it that anymore.

You could call it a comprimise if you want to sugar coat it. But most of the time when you come out and make a stance opposing something and then when you start losing populartiy, then change your position to something more favorable that is called a flip flop.

[expatriate]

If he's going to start agreeing with Republican positions after studying an issue out, then why shouldn't we just vote Republican in the first place instead of training a wannabe?

The Presidency isn't an on the job training program. The guy is all thrust and no rudder.

[jfrench]

expatriate wrote: The Presidency isn't an on the job training program. The guy is all thrust and no rudder.

:laugh:

[civetcat]

Well the difference is that Obama (and the gang of 10 as they are called, meaning those 5 repubs and 5 dems looking for middle ground) has made an accomadation with offshore drilling to get legislation passed.

McCain as you remember was dead set againgst offshore drilling but the week after he changed 180 degrees he got millions in campaign contributions from big oil. Bought.

I've seen enough of what one brain dead party boy can do, time for a smart guy.

(second from lowest in class? Maybe dady and grand dady being admirals helped)

[SoCoKHntr]

civetcat wrote:
McCain as you remember was dead set againgst offshore drilling but the week after he changed 180 degrees he got millions in campaign contributions from big oil. Bought.


Isn't that a big FLIP FLOP? Well, it was for money for his campaign so totally understandable and honorable. An honorable flip flop.

Did you catch the video of him at the Biker rally in Sturgis? The one where he said Cindy could be the first female to be the First Lady and Miss Cow Chip.

No, here's the link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.....17053.html

[expatriate]

Brain dead party boy? Maybe Bush graduated near the bottom of his class -- but that was at the bottom of a class from Yale - not Podunk Community College. Besides, you're grading him on who he was 40 years ago. If anybody judged me based on who I was when I was 20, I'd be pretty pathetic.

I always get a kick out of watching libs spin their way out of things. When a Republican changes position, it's a flip-flop. But when a Democrat does it, it's wisdom and accomodation. When a Republican takes campaign donations, he's been "bought." But Democrats can apparently take in millions from special interest groups without it affecting them in any way.

As far as your "smart guy" goes, he can say it better than I can:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omHUsRTYFAU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....re=related

[civetcat]

Yale at the time still had legacy admissions.

Bush is actually bright, appearances to the contrary. He scored higher than Kerry on his military assement tests they give you on entrance. His mixing of words isn't due to being dumb but crossed wires similar to how some folks stutter. I think his biggest problem running a company, baseball team, or country is that he can't adapt and learn from his mistakes. Can't accept different viewpoints.

There are lots of funny videos of McCain making bigger gaffs than losing his place while speaking but I choose not to post them. I have a lot of respect for him. I think he's doing the best he can with what he has. For a while I wondered if the party would just have him bow out for health reasons and stick someone with a better chance in his place. Or someone they want to go with next time. Huckabee or Romney. There's no way he'd give it up though, he wants it bad. Same disease Hillary had. After wanting it for so long they'll do literaly anything. Sad. He's past his game.