McCain Offshore Drilling Battle Reminiscent Of Iraq Surge, Aide Says

An aide to John McCain synthesized the Senator's two favorite topics into one political thesis today: his support for off-shore drilling and his policy proposals on Iraq.

"This is the domestic policy equivalent of the surge," said Nancy Pfotenhauer, "you have Sen. McCain looking at a situation, seeing the Congress not willing to solve a problem and calling for a change of policy... Then you have Sen. Obama who has an ironclad unwillingness because he won't risk alienating his political base."

Clearly, the McCain campaign is going to great efforts to paint the Senator as a "High Noon" type: the principled antagonist in ideological fights. But it's hard not to consider Pfotenhauer -- whose comments came during a conference call with bloggers -- in the context of McCain's history on offshore drilling. Three weeks before he began advocating the benefits of the policy, he told a town hall gathering that it would provide no short-term relief. Moreover, every reasonable economist - including many on McCain's list of endorsers - doesn't believe offshore drilling will have an immediate affect on gas prices.

Nevertheless, it is quite evident that McCain and his aides see energy as a key issue around which the election will be decided. By comparing his call for off-shore drilling to his advocacy of the surge his aides are deliberately attempting to raise the stakes of the debate.

Later in the conference call, Pfotenhauer was asked whether, in McCain's devotion to achieving energy independence, he would move to open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

"I have heard nothing that would make me believe that he is," she replied. "Sen. McCain has, throughout his life and public career, been a well-known conservationist. He happens to believe there is a reason the word refuge is in ANWR's name. And he doesn't believe at this time that drilling in ANWR is necessary. There are 20 billion barrels off the gulf, 15 billion off Alaska... there is a lot we can access which would send an immediate and direct signal to the international community that we can handle our supply problems and we can get control over our supply problems rather than be at the mercy of OPEC countries."

Comments

[Greygolla]

McCain really has too much to keep track of lately. He is on quite the slippery slope with all our oil problems. I expect he will shortly confound The Abar Awakening with the ANWR opening, and will be lucky if the Straight Talk Express does not fetch up at the Strait of Hormuz.

[rh654]

I think that if gasoline prices stay high - this drilling issue could become a problem for Obama.

Logic starts to go out the window when people are having problems buying a commodity such as gasoline and many people will say - "Start Drilling" if they believe it may bring down prices - whether or not that is really what will happen.

Perception is important.

[Thorn2008]

Better check our consumption figures again all that oil you think might be there won't last long under todays consuption figures let along the figures projected for ten years from now when they may start pulling it out of the ground.

[Bitsko]

"My friends, just shut up and go shopping."

[DCtrain]

Right, Off-shore drilling and the surge are both similar.... but where is the similarity?
I view the that they are both similar to peeing your pants on a very cold day... on a cold
day, things are bad, but when you pee yourself, you feel warm for a few seconds and then
even colder because your pants are soaked... That's what off-shore drilling and the surge
will do for us... temparary relieve before a much more serious situation.

[PghDemocrat]

Quote for The American President "...in the absence of genuine leadership, they'll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They're so thirsty for it they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand. "

Offshore drilling and the surge are the mirage...drink up. Temporary fixes or fixes that don't happen for years are not what we need. We need real solutions - change our consume-at-any-cost mentality, change the way we pander to oil companies, change the way we educate ourselves on issues so that we, as a nation, can put this country on a course for a greater tomorrow. Or we can all sit on our arses and yell at computer and tv screens all day.

Off topic - Good bye Randy Pausch.

[MHR55]

At least we didn't have to wait 20 some odd years for the surge to have even the slightest effect.

[barackobama4prez]

flawed thinking. you need to raise the bar.

O B A M A / B I D E N 2008-2016

[MHR55]

Uhh, I was being facetious because the comparison of the two things is too ridiculous to be taken seriously.

As an aside, I like Biden too, but for Secretary of State.

[blueshield]

It's all about the Serge: because when McC's says "drilling offshore", he means "in Iran".

[Bitsko]

So he's been talking about the fabric all this time? Now it all makes sense!

[LemonFreshScent]

The surge cured iraqi cancer too... Their dead now. The cancer is gone.

[mesmerize]

If i hear the word surge again i will pull my hair out. The only way they will let the word surge go is if Senator Obama say whay every journalist what to hear but is afraid to ask. What they really want to ask Senator Obama is " Didn't the surge work because of Senator McCain" and the answer they want to hear from Senator obama is " Yes the surge worked because of Senator mcCain". Why would Obama say something that is not the truth? Everyone that tried to explain why the surge worked has had their answer questioned.

[patriotic008]

What the heck?????
I am convinced that the M c B u s H campaign thinks Americans are all dumb. Seriously. That must be why they think we believe some of the crap they are spinning out. There is no way they could possibly think we would buy some of this junk right?

I heard on the radio that M c Bu sh had planned a campaign event on an oil rig off the coast of Louisiana to "show" us voters that drilling is safe. However the even was canceled because when the campaign got there they realized the spot STILL REEKED OF OIL from the Katrina-caused spills, and naturally had to cancel because Heaven forbid the press go there and spill the beans.

And why Mc C a 1 n employing such Rovian tactics????? Wasn't he a victim of the Rethug hatred machine when he was running against Du bya?

[XME]

To McCain, everything is like the surge, because that's the ONLY issue he actually cares about at ALL.

[Grunty1]

They keep talking about it because it is the brightest moment in the entirity of the Iraq invasion.

And it was still a failure.

[evolution1223]

You know, the surge is political, it's military, it's economics. The surge knows all. The surge is all. The surge is Highlander.

[kdublya]

You got my vote for "Post of the day"

LOL

[patriotic008]

first rule about tha Surge.... is we don't talk about tha Surge

dont worry the surge knows all

[afgail]

We have a dire need to find alternative energy sources and wean ourselves from fossil fuels. It is a brain dead policy to go to war for oil and even dumber to drill in unacceptable places for oil. When you're in a hole you have to STOP DIGGING!

[NoahVail]

The Surge is strong in this one, but I am not sure he is ready to be a Jeddi knight.

[shel3364]

But there can be only one (?)

[tedbear]

How can anyone who has a brain think that drilling for oil is going to immediately spurt "crude" all over the place and directly into gas stations?!!

[08politicaljunkie]

The same people who were in support of The Gas Tax Holiday.

[harriscrl3]

This is why Obama can't win with some folks no matter what he does he doesnt want to risk alienating his base but when he did with Fisa its a flip flop. Obama has been the most consistent throughout this election and here is an aid to the quintissential panderer that didnt support drilling but now do accusing Obama of pandering. I mean Huh?

Carol