June 20, 2008....http://www.cnn.com
Obama, speaking to Democratic governors in Chicago, Illinois, hit McCain hard for his support of the gas tax “holiday” as well as drilling off the U.S. coasts.
Obama told the 16 governors attending an economic summit at the Chicago History Museum that McCain “has essentially embraced” President Bush’s energy policy.
“When I hear McCain say that he is now in favor of the same oil drilling off the coast that he was opposed to just a week ago, what he doesn’t tell you is that George Bush’s own energy department has said that this would have no impact on consumers until 2030,” he said, “no appreciable impact for the next 22 years. Something they’re not telling consumers.”
At an afternoon news conference in Jacksonville, Florida, Obama continued to lash out at McCain’s oil drilling policy.
“John McCain’s proposal, George Bush’s proposal to drill offshore here in Florida, and other places around the country, would not provide families with any relief, this year, next year, five years from now,” he said. “Believe me, if I thought there was any evidence at all that drilling could save people money who are struggling to fill up their gas tanks by this summer or the next few years, I would consider it, but it won’t.”
Way to go Obama!
McCain needed to be spanked for wanting to cut the cost of gasoline for consumers!
Following up on recent House passage of a bill to end the ban, the Senate on Tuesday approved a measure to allow oil and gas development in a portion of the Gulf of Mexico's coastal waters.
“This bill is welcome news for the consumers of the United States,” said Rep. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, just before the Senate approved the measure by a bipartisan 71-25 vote.
Obama voted against the bill and said the Republican leadership was being “dishonest” by believing the nation's energy problem could be solved with more drilling.