Did Obama flip-flop on offshore drilling?
The formerly staunch anti-drilling advocate Obama has now appeared to rapidly backtrack on the subject in an interview today with the (excellent) St. Pete Times as he travels the state of Florida - a state where now well over 50% of residents support offshore drilling. Is he pandering just as he is slipping in the Florida polls?
Obama’s stance on new oil drilling off the U.S. coasts had consistently been very hard-line in opposition to McCain’s support for drilling. Both the candidate and his campaign had given no intention that such oppo was set to waver, always dismissing drilling as a risky temporary fix and even putting out TV ads making it clear that Obama’s energy plan did not include offshore drilling.
That appears to have shifted as he campaigns in Florida, a state now in recession and hit especially hard by high gas prices in a land of McMansions and congested highways far from urban centers and job hot spots.
Obama today…
Long an opponent of offshore drilling, Sen. Barack Obama offered encouraging words for a bipartisan energy plan that would permit oil drilling within 50 miles of Florida’s west coast.In an interview with the St. Petersburg Times and Bay News 9’s Political Connections this morning, Obama commended the self-styled “Gang of 10″ senators who earlier in the day introduced a broad energy bill that also would funnel billions into developing renewable sources.
“My attitude is that we can find some sort of compromise,” Obama told the Times shortly after talking with voters at Gibbs High School. “If it is part of an overarching package, then I am not going to be rigid in preventing an energy package that goes forward that is really thoughtful and is going to really solve the problem.”
In the interview, Obama reiterated his belief that “we are not going to drill our way out of this problem. We have 3 percent of the world’s oil reserves. We use 25 percent of the world’s oil.
“And what I’ve also said is, if people are expecting short-term relief because of offshore drilling, then they’re not going to find it because we won’t see a drop of oil for at least a decade.”
“So what I want to do is just to make sure that we are putting together the kind of comprehensive plan that is going to work. And if you have a package that is offshore drilling only, which is essentially what Bush and McCain have been emphasizing, then I think that that is not going to solve the problem and I would be opposed to that.”
It was clear that Obama had to make some sort of centrist shift on offshore drilling with public support growing for it and McCain continuously rubbing his nose in his strict oppo to it. But isn’t this a bit too obvious? It won’t cause as many headaches as his stubborn refusal to back a drilling plan, but it will grab some negative headlines. Flip-flop, flip-flop…
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This is a typical guy who will say and do anything for political convenience. Not a surprise at all as this is just one on his flip flop list.
his 20 years Pastor Wright flip flop
Nafta flip flop
Gun ownership flip flop
Rezko flip flop
Public funding flip flop
Wire tapping flip flop
Health care flip flop
Iraq flip flop
Pakistan flip flop
Troop visit flip flop
New : Drilling flip flop
…. and had Sen Obama remained adamant and opposed any off-shore oil drilling, then he would have been accused of being “out of touch” and REALLY arrogant…..the naysayers and Republicans WANT it both ways by arguing a no-win referendum on the Senator.
“Obama made his comments in St. Petersburg during an interview with the Palm Beach Post. “My interest is in making sure we’ve got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices,” he said.
“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,” the paper quoted Obama as saying.
The change is dramatic because Obama often pointed to his opposition to drilling as a key difference between himself and presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain.
“I will keep the moratorium in place and prevent oil companies from drilling off Florida’s coasts,” Obama said in Florida in June.
Friday, he said he was still not a fan of drilling, telling the Palm Beach paper, “I think it’s important for the American people to understand we’re not going to drill our way out of this problem.”
Obama also said, in a separate statement issued by his campaign, that he supported the bipartisan energy plan offered by 10 senators Friday.
“Like all compromises, it also includes steps that I haven’t always supported,” he said. “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.”
……And here are Sen McCain’s flip flops, right beside his flawed candidacy::
#55: John McCain promised a clean campaign, based on the issues - but has not stayed that course. He has started running negative attack ads, after saying he had respect for Barack Obama.
#56: John McCain flip-flopped on taxes. He once said he’d never raise taxes. Now - he’s open to raising Social Security taxes.
#57: John McCain flip-flopped on affirmative action. He used support it…now he changed into the wrong direction and supports a measure on the ballot in AZ to end the policy.
#58: John McCain is two-faced on lobbyists. He has constantly said he wants nothing to do with ‘big-moneyed special interests’…but he has taken in $181,000 in donations from lobbyists.
#59: John McCain’s priorities for health insurance companies are flawed. He is all for them covering Viagra, but not birth control.
#60: John McCain is still fixated on the ’surge.’ He doesn’t get that the surge is over - he believes it’s still going on.
#61: John McCain isn’t fit to be commander in chief. He lost five Navy aircraft during his flying career.
#62: John McCain needs a geography lesson. He brags he’s been to Iraq so many times, but he said Iraq borders Pakistan. Look at a map, John….there’s a little country called Iran in between.
#63: John McCain supports the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy in the military. He believes the anti-gay policy is working.
#64: John McCain has slammed Obama for only attending one Afghanistan hearing…but McCain’s even more guilty! The Arizona Senator has not attended any committee hearings on Afghanistan.
#65: John McCain says the war in Iraq is not related to the war in Afghanistan. Barack Obama pointed out that the Senator from Arizona is dead wrong.
#66: John McCain’s top economic advisor thinks the poor economy is just a ‘mental recession.’ Phil Gramm called America a ‘nation of whiners.’
#67: John McCain’s Gas Tax Holiday is a joke. Virtually every economist has shot down McCain’s idea of a gas tax holiday. It just won’t work!
#68: John McCain flip-flops on immigration. First he applauded a clear route to citizenship, now he’s changed to a “fences-first” stance.
#69: John McCain gives us double-talk on Iraq. He says on the one hand, we gotta keep it going with no timetable. Then, more recently, he says we’ll balance the budget by winning the war in Iraq and getting the troops home.
#70: John McCain represents the third term of Karl Rove. Steve Schmidt is the latest person to be at the top of the campaign - another name involved with McCain who worked closely with Karl Rove.
#71: John McCain is taking money from Swift Boat veterans. In 2004, he called them dishonest and dishonorable.
#72: John McCain flip-flopped on swiftboat veterans. In 2004, he condemned the swiftboat veterans, now, he endorses them, with Bud Day back on the scene.
#73: John McCain is a tax cheater. Cindy McCain failed to pay property taxes on time - that is not the type of responsibility that we want in the White House.
#74: John McCain is an opponent of helping rail transit. When he chaired the Senate Commerce Committee, he opposed public financing of Amtrak - a service very important in this day of high fuel prices.
#75: John McCain’s healthcare plan would not help Americans. It would tax your healthcare benefits and leave working families at the mercy of big insurance companies.
#76: John McCain is a fear monger. Adviser Charlie Black suggested another terrorist attack would help McCain and the Republicans win.
#77: John McCain is more of a game show host than a candidate, offering up gimmick after gimmick. First it was the gas tax holiday, but now - he wants taxpayers to give $300 million to whoever develops the next new electric battery. Too bad the Japanese are already five years ahead of the US in developing the next generation battery.
#78: John McCain does not have a good environmental record. The League of Conservation Voters gave him a zero rating when it comes to pro-environment votes.
#79: Cindy McCain criticizes Michelle Obama for not “always” being proud of her country. Guess what - John McCain said the same thing.
#80: John McCain graduated fifth from the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy. Out of 899 graduates, he was ranked 894.
#81: John McCain uses scare tactics. John McCain accuses Barack Obama of having a “September 10″ mentality. We’ve heard this before from George W. Bush. Republicans have NO problem using September 11 for political gain.
#82: John McCain is in favor of offshore drilling for oil. Of course, this is AFTER he was opposed to it. Drilling for oil off the shores of the United States WON’T ease the gas burden.
#83: John McCain was part of the Keating Five. John McCain was part of the five Senators who were tied to dirty deal with Charles Keating.
#84: John McCain doesn’t support prisoner’s rights. The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Gitmo detainees. John McCain says that the ruling “concerns” him.
#85: John McCain doesn’t care about women’s interests. He wants to overturn Roe v. Wade (among other things) - Planned Parenthood gives him a zero lifetime voting record on women’s issues.
#86: John McCain won’t repeal George Bush’s tax cuts. This is another issue that he has flip-flopped on, and his plan will continue to put this country into a deeper budget deficit.
#87: John McCain agrees with Bush’s illegal wiretapping policy outside of FISA. At one point he did disagree with Bush on the subject, but he flip-flopped and now supports the President.
#88: John McCain doesn’t know anything about the economy. He himself said he doesn’t know as much about it as he should.
#89: John McCain voted with George Bush 89% of the time through his administration. Just more proof that if he’s elected, it’s more of the same.
#90: John McCain is a fake campaign finance reformer. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) presented this reason during his in-studio visit, and believes McCains back-room dealings need to be exposed.
#91: The Supreme Court. John McCain himself has said he wants to appoint clones of Alito and Roberts to the high court. With that, Roe v. Wade and other important decisions will go right out the window.
#92: His bad “comb-over,” that he won’t admit to. He won’t just be honest and admit he’s balding - what else won’t he be honest about?
#93: John McCain supports the war in Iraq. He stated he would stay in Iraq for 100 years.
#94: John McCain will be nothing but a third term of George Bush. He wants to continue the same policies that have failed for the last eight years, as Barack Obama pointed out.
#95: John McCain is too old to run the country. He’ll be 72 this year. Back in 2000, he admitted to PBS’s Jim Lehrer he’s too old to be President!
#96: John McCain does not support the GI Bill. He’s against giving our veterans full scholarships to college upon returning from service.
#97: John McCain has bad judgment related to the people he cozies up to. He was endorsed by, and was good friends with John Hagee - it took him three months to reject the endorsement! What other type of people might he get close to when he’s president?
#98: John McCain doesn’t know Shiite from Shinola. Even Joe Lieberman corrected him when he mixed up Shiites and Sunnis.
#99: John McCain doesn’t want to change anything about our relationship with Cuba. He is attacking Barack Obama’s willingness to meet with Raul Castro.
#100: John McCain will try to stir up war with Iran. We’ve seen this with his recent exchange with Barack Obama, saying we shouldn’t talk - we should just bomb, bomb, bomb Iran.
#101: John McCain’s connection with Lobbyists. Special Interests, Special Interests. Ouch. The prime connection is Thomas Loeffler - who resigned from McCain’s campaign because of his lobbyist connections.
Once again, where is the responsible reporting? In reading this edited version, there is key information missing from the original article.
How can anyone respond to this misleading snippet of information when they don’t have the WHOLE story.
OBAMA IS FLIP-FLOPPING AGAIN!
The Question Is: WHO IS BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA?
The Answer Is: NOBODY KNOWS!
The fact is that we don’t know — WHO OR WHAT — Obama is.
We know that — four years ago he was a virtual unknown — who came from no where — with no experience on the national level.
HE COULD BE ANYTHING: fascist, socialist, or Nazi! You name it! His positions are constantly changing. Who knows what he will be by November or next January?
This is the underlying reason that so many people, including me, are so frightened by the thought of an Obama Presidency.
Now he is strutting about the world like a little boy, “playing” at being President and flaunting a desecrated Presidential seal as his trademark. The Team of Barack Hussein Obama stated in a speech that he comes before them as a “CITIZEN OF THE WORLD”. But why run for president of the USA? Why Not run for leader of the UN? This ,of course, is why Barack Obama did not wear his Flag Pin because Team Obama are National Socialists.
His perception of reality seems far removed from the objective reality the rest of us recognize.
HE IS “NOT” PRESIDENT — and with a little luck he never will be. He doesn’t seem to understand that.
For him “all the world’s a stage” but he is but a “poor player” who will lose the role because America is recognizing the real Obama, the racist with a history of drug and alcohol abuse and without enough respect for our country’s military men and women to abandon his pursuit of glory long enough to visit them.
ANYBODY BUT OBAMA!
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McCain 08
He was never opposed to drill, just more drilling in new locations while 68 million are already reserved for drilling and hasn’t been tapped. No more drilling in ANWAR while the north is MELTING.