Sen. John McCain says he is (now) for coastal drilling.
Yesterday, he said Congress should abort its August recess and convene a special session to vote on drilling. "Congress should come back in session, and I'm willing to come off the campaign trail," said McCain to reporters.
Sen. McCain also says he is for clean energy.
Yet in December, when legislation that would strip tax break giveaways to Big Oil so we can invest in clean energy was on the Senate floor, it was blocked by a conservative filibuster. With one more vote in favor, the filibuster would have been broken. One Senator missed that vote: Sen. John McCain, who instead chose to stay on the campaign trail.
Don't let anyone say McCain doesn't go the extra mile for those supporting his campaign.
Originally posted at OurFuture.org
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These events led me to ponder "the American Way of Life" and our dependence on oil. We don't only use it in manufacturing, transportation, and heating, but we burn it excessively for entertainment:
Boat races, motorcycle rallies, NASCAR, dirt bike races, drag racing, Monster Truck events, air shows, and explosive car chase scenes in movies. Our demand for oil.
"Our national interest." We've sent thousands to get killed in Iraq because of it. We've killed millions of Iraqis because of it. We've polluted our waters because of it. We've polluted our air and land because of it. We've destroyed wildlife because of it. And now, many of us can barely afford to go to work. We're working to go to work.
Couldn't we as Americans find other, less violent, pastimes? Do we really N E E D that much oil?