At an event steeped in presidential politics, Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Robert Casey (D-Pa.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) on Thursday touted a report that said GOP presidential contender John McCain
Barack Obama launched a new website dedicated to energy policy today, seeking to separate his proposals from John McCain's.
The site features a side-by-side comparison of Obama's energy stances to McCain's and tells readers they have the choice to "go big" with Obama's policies or "rely on" McCain's coastal drilling proposal.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of John McCain's closest allies, said that the United States should look to France and try to develop nuclear power to help clean up the environment and reduce demand for oil.
"It's ridiculous that America cannot proceed with nuclear power," Graham said on Fox News on Wednesday."We should follow the French model of storage and recycling."
Graham noted that while McCain has proposed building 45 new nuclear power plants, his Democratic opponent for the presidency, Barack Obama, has espoused building more coal-fired plants.
"[Obama] gives lip service to nuclear power, but the environmental left -- the anti-nuclear left has stymied his platform," Graham said.
The Republican suggested that Obama look at the French nuclear power program, which provides most of the country's power, when he visits Europe.
"Surely we can be as bold as the French," said Graham. "They know what they're doing. They have a very mature nuclear program."
Graham said that his state, South Carolina, would be willing to show how to recycle spent nuclear fuel, the disposal of which has been a concern of environmental groups.
"So we need to deal with the waste," Graham said. "And Obama doesn't want to address the waste because the hard left really is anti-nuclear."
Barack Obama cannot be serious about expanding nuclear power, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said today, as he opposes building the nation's first permanent disposal site for spent nuclear fuel.
John McCain threw a Democratic attack back at Barack Obama in a speech defending his call for more offshore oil drilling Wednesday.
"When I announced this policy the other day, Sen. Obama wasted no time in mischaracterizing it. He described my position as -- you guessed it -- another example of Bush's third term," McCain said in Springfield, Mo. "I guess the senator has changed his position since voting for the 2005 Bush energy bill -- a grab-bag of corporate handouts that I opposed. Come to think of it, that energy bill was the only time we've ever seen Sen. Obama vote in favor of any tax break -- and it was a tax break for the oil companies."
McCain also highlighted differences between him and Obama over nuclear energy; McCain supports more of it, Obama doesn't. The Republican called for 45 new nuclear reactors by 2030 and 100 new plants altogether.
"The next president must be willing to break with the energy policies not just of the current administration, but the administrations that preceded it, and lead a great national campaign to achieve energy security for America," McCain said.
The Obama campaign has been contacted for a response. The Briefing Room will put it up when it hears back.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R) has dropped his support for a federal ban on offshore oil drilling and has sided with John McCain.
The Republican presidential candidate called for the lifting of the ban, which could lead to oil exploration in Florida. Crist, who backed the ban in his 2006 gubernatorial race, said told the Associated Press that economic and environmental concerns must be balanced.
"We're a tourist state," Crist said. "We have to protect the beauty of Florida, but we also need to have people have the opportunity to drive here and be able to afford to do that too."
Crist cited states' rights and rising gas prices as the reasons for switching his positions.
Though John McCain said yesterday he would like to ease restrictions on coastal drilling, the conservative Institute for Energy Research is not satisfied.
The group, which holds that regulations hinder the energy industry, said McCain's call was "good news for consumers," but blasted McCain's opposition to drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
"Unfortunately, we continue to find fault with Senator McCain
John McCain's campaign tries to highlight the Republican's call for a cap on greenhouse gas emissions in a new television ad entitled "Global."
The first line in the spot is a direct shot at President Bush: "John McCain stood up to the President and sounded the alarm on global warming ... five years ago."
The campaign said that the ad will play on national cable and in battleground states, though it hasn't specified which states it will air in.
Read the script and watch the spot below.
Script For "Global" (TV:30)
ANNCR: John McCain stood up to the President and sounded the alarm on global warming ... five years ago.
Today, he has a realistic plan that will curb greenhouse gas emissions.
A plan that will help grow our economy and protect our environment.
Reform. Prosperity. Peace. John McCain.
JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.
Barack Obama blasted John McCain's plan Tuesday to call for a lift of the federal offshore drilling ban.
Obama called lifting the ban, "another example of short-term political posturing from Washington, not the long-term leadership we need to solve our dependence on oil."
The Illinois senator also attacked McCain for "completely" changing his position on offshore drilling. McCain supported the ban when he ran for president in 2000.
In the prepared text of a speech planned for Tuesday, McCain says, "we have untapped oil reserves of at least 21 billion barrels in the United States. But a broad federal moratorium stands in the way of energy exploration and production."
"It is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions."
Read more...
John McCain today said he would withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of his first term as president.
Speaking in Columbus, Ohio, McCain laid out an agenda for accomplishments by the end of his first term. Also among them were: the Taliban's resurgence reduced with Pakistan's help; discontinuation of nuclear programs in Russia, China, and North Korea;
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