McCain Concedes: Tire Gauges Work

After days of mocking Barack Obama for promoting tire efficiency, John McCain admits that it's not a bad idea:

Republican John McCain appeared to back down on Tuesday in his dispute with his opponent Barack Obama over tire pressure. ...

The surprise came during a telephone town hall meeting McCain held on Tuesday with voters in Pennsylvania.

"Obama said a couple of days ago says we all should inflate our tires. I don't disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it," McCain said.

But he kept up his broad criticism of Obama on energy: "I ... don't think that that (inflating tires) is a way to become energy independent."

Obama poked fun at McCain over the admission Wednesday:

"It will be interesting to watch this debate between John McCain and John McCain," Obama said as he campaigned in Indiana with Sen. Evan Bayh, widely considered a top-tier candidate for running mate.

Comments

[eugenegerard]

Another John McCain DUH moment.

[judyc]

I am not a frequent blogger and need help from some of you who are.

France has recently had some serious issues with several of their nuclear power plants and I've include some links to some articles.

Can some of you help me and post them on some right-wing blogs so that all those who are huge proponents of nuclear power will be exposed to info about some of the risks?

Thanks!

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,564826,00.html

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Two_nuclear_leaks_in_two_weeks_trigger_security_and_safety_reviews_in_France

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gavin-d-j-harper/concerns-raised-over-fran_b_115266.html

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/18/europe/leak.php

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/2454654/French-nuclear-leak-prompts-urgent-security-review.html

[Viper]

We ll know about the risk... but freezing and going broke are also risk.


Regards

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Not to take issue with your links, but...

For any given level of consumption, while nuclear is not risk free, neither are the alternatives:

e.g.,
Oil = War, greenhouse gas emissions, non-renewable resource
Coal = Black lung disease, cave-ins, greenhouse gas emissions, non-renewable
etc.

More wind and solar.

[williamg]

Seems even J ohn Mc Cain is willing to vote for 0bama. How else does someone explain the 0bama '08 sticker on Mc Cain's very own 'straight talk express' bus:

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll275/andrewtna/smallbus.jpg

[kay]

Of course tire gauges "work". Thanks for the tip, nitwit.

Can conservatives refrain from dumbing down this country to meet their own level of ignorance?

Don't drag the rest of us down with you. Celebrating stupid isn't "leadership".

[ThunderclapNewman]

It is if you're a Republican.

They count on people's stupidity.

That's what gets them elected.

[kay]

Inexplicably, we loathe Germans, we fear science, we're terrified of a person who can actually USE the English language, we can't manage a tire gauge....I'm not going "to stupid" with them.

Smart is better. Smart is aspirational. Smart is achievable. And it starts at the top.

[kissmygrits]

The piece of this that is so irritating is that Mac refused to urge conservation and efficiency - both of which are critical - to energy independence and to slowing climate change. Very aggravating, because it's just common sense.

[kay]

Because it involves actual personal get-off-your-behind action.

It's much easier to lobby on the internet for drilling in pretty places.

[suzyhein]

the part that bugs me is that a once honorable man has allowed himself to wallow with pigs. Handing out tire gauges with "O energy plan" on it? Despicable, dishonest and childish.

[bluestatelib]

Once honorable man? The man who cheated on his disabled wife, Carol, and married his mistress, Cindy, a month after he divorced Carol. The man who is on record making rape jokes and racial slurs against Asians. That man? Please.

[HopeGirl]

M C Nasty is the most immature old wrinkly grey haired guy I have ever seen.

Grow UP Old Wrinkly Guy.

[shel3364]

Yup. We should be harping on maturity, not chronological age.

O has the maturity thing nailed. He's taking this election and campaign seriously.

Mac is acting like a 10-year old (apologies to 10-year olds). He's treating this campaign as if it's some kind of Jr. High class election.


Who do YOU want in the White House?

[Viper]

Not if you get emails I get every day.. he is far from alone.

regards

[Loompa2000]

take your bicycle out of the garage...put the tire pressure at 20 psi....ride around the block or up the street...whatever...just ride for 20 min....now do the same test at 50 psi...a no flippin brainer...unless you are so detached from the reality circus that you only fly or sit in the back seat.

[NickNas]

Been trying to make that point since this began....every 9 year old with a bike knows this..people just WANT to be stupid.

[lmab]

Is there a gauge that measures the hot air coming from wrinkly old guy with white hair?

[LMT]

Somebody stick a tire gauge in McBush. I think he's done.

[obamanation31]

McSpin don't know much about anything.

[williamg]

When was the last time J ohn Mc Cain checked the tire pressure on his personal jet?

[suzyhein]

he drives McSugarmama's jet

[suzyhein]

my responses are misfiring this morning. that was meant for the drive a car question below. my bad.

[WaspStings]

Cindy better remember little Johnny's crash rate before she lets him in the cockpit.

[trollsbwild]

See tr0lls!

[ShamusNYC]

I'm still waiting to hear Paris' stance on this issue

[theMightyT]

She pretty much endorsed 0bama's plan

[KBAR]

I can't wait for the video on how Paris uses her tire gauge.

[helonias]

And whens the last time JM actually drove a car.

[CaptainZero1969]

Wagon wheels do not need those new fangled "tire" thingys.

[chs1965]

Wheels weren't round in the Mavericks youth.

[scorpioleidy]

Or actually had to personally put air in the tires!

[swift goat pet for truth]

McCain just lost an energy debate with Paris Hilton.

For his next trick, I guess he'll pimp his wife.

This is the best the GOP can do?

[SENCvoter]

I think he already did. Errrr, he said she should be in the pageant at Sturgis?

[Grunty1]

Damn, you beat me to it.

Is anyone else having problems with the style sheets not loading properly?

[SENCvoter]

The point about keeping tires inflated is that we all need to do what we can by conserving. Oil can come by barrel-loads, but we don't conserve, there is no point. So, it can start with something as little as inflating tires. When was the last time you looked at the tire pressured, folks?

[MourningDude]

I get my tires checked and rotated every month or two. And I ride a bike to work every day. And I've done that for years. BHO getting up and preaching about it didn't do anything to change my behavior, and my guess is that his preaching has had a minuscule effect on people nationwide. Certainly not in the sort of magnitude that would be required to impact our national energy consumption.

He might as well get up and tell people to carpool once a week. It's a fine idea, and some people already do that. But is that going to make everyone start carpooling? Of course not.

[Charmed]

MourningDude....Obama said it all yesterday "people take pride in being ignorant" as you are doing.

[suzyhein]

why is sharing ideas called preaching mourningdude? it was a small aspect of his overall plan. a direct response to the question "what can I do."

If and when, McRacingstripe tries to articulate his plan, will it be called preaching?

[LuvDaH8ters]

So then he shouldnt state the obvious? with that thinking i shouldt stop trying to get a million dollars becasue while its a nice idea, it doesnt look too possible. Even if it did not change your habits, others might take heed, so saying it actually does matter..... but making fun of accurate assesments, isnt that really pointless?

[matthewhusseinsmith]

Thats true; it's a question of American attitude toward conservation, which so far, is quasi-nonexistent.O can't change that attitude with pretty speeches. The people who can change it, are the Saudis who produce oil and the Chinese and Indians who will consume it in greater quantities.
When it comes to oil consumption, Americans are spoiled and wasteful brats.
When the price of a gallon reaches its European level, Americans will trade in their V8 trucks; not that V8 trucks do not have their uses, but not to go groceries shopping, or as daily drivers.

[Grunty1]

If what you wrote is true, YOU don't have to change. However, there are plenty of people driving around on tires 4-5 psi below what they should be. Or with air filters running 50k miles.

If THESE people who don't perform even the most basic maintain on their cars would start doing so, our oil consumption would go down by more than the off shore drilling would supply.