Mr. Kerry thanks for everything. This is an excellent post. You have been at the forefront of the netroots movement and I appreciate that. I also commend you for the effort you made in 2004 to reclaim the White House from this most unfortunate regime. You had begun laying the groundwork for this great progressive realignment that we are now experiencing across America today.
I think one of the most under-reported stories of this campaign has to be the extraordinary flip-flopping of John McCain on every conceivable issue, not least on the matter of Energy. He presents himself as a maverick on environmental issues but we all know he is nothing less than George Bush in green clothing. McCain has made a 180 degree turn on the environment. His championing of causes supported by Big Oil such as drilling offshore and in our natural preserves such as ANWAR and opposing a windfall profit tax and cap on emissions rivals that only of Dick Cheney. McCain's talk recently has been demonstrably not straight.
McCain: Not So Straight On Energy
If you care about climate change, the last 24 hours provide the clearest illustration yet of the choice we face in November, and which candidate understands what we need to do.
In Detroit last night, Barack Obama took the stage with Al Gore to tell tough truths -- and propose specific policies to galvanize decades of green economic growth.
In Houston today, candidate McCain will tell the people that he used to call "special interests" that just because two oilmen are leaving the White House doesn't mean the gravy train has to end. Back in 2000, he promised he would "never lose sight" of the importance of protecting our natural heritage. Today his campaign reversed McCain's longstanding position and endorsed drilling off our coastlines. Oh -- and Senator McCain's reform agenda of getting tough on Big Oil? Now Candidate McCain is against any windfall profits tax to fund renewable energy.
If you think this will lower prices at the pump, think again: oil production from the Outer Continental Shelf (or OCS) wouldn't even begin until 2017 because we don't have the infrastructure -- the network of platforms and hundreds of miles of pipelines -- needed to support expanded drilling. And even the administration's own economists point out that it will have an "insignificant" impact on prices at the pump. Why, then, would anyone who prides himself on 'straight talk' propose drilling for oil that we won't see until at least 9 years from now as an answer to the problems of today? Sadly, it's a page torn out from the same cynical playbook that offered the McCain gas tax holiday.
More than a few people have asked me how the John McCain I knew so well, and teamed up with on CAFE standards in 2002, has ended up here. I can't fully answer that. But I know that the Senator McCain I knew, and who will always be my friend, is very different from this candidate McCain.
One possible explanation is that, based on recent quotes I first read on Grist, John McCain seems to have paid scant attention to the details of his own campaign proposals--or even the bill he sponsored in the Senate.
Just yesterday, McCain said, "I believe in the cap-and-trade system, as you know. I would not at this time make those -- impose a mandatory cap at this time." Details are stubborn things: His own campaign proposal includes a mandatory cap.
And this isn't the first time: In another interview, he said: "It's not quote mandatory caps. It's cap-and-trade, OK. It's not mandatory caps to start with. It's cap-and-trade. That's very different. OK, because that's a gradual reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions. So please portray it as cap-and-trade. That's the way I call it."
Call it anything you like -- but nobody would call it "straight talk."
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Why is it that our politicos need to preface all their opinions?
"MY friend....."
If someone cheats my friends;
That someone is no longer in my good graces
How about some of this -
"My old, used to be, backstabbing, flip flopping, lying creep......."
Keith Olberman, finally, tonight discussed why fuel prices are up...ENRON and the loophole put into law with McCains assistance and with phil grahams direction... close this and oil/gas will drop by 25-50% OVERNIGHT....i want someone in jail....and McCain is directly linked to this corruption at the whole worlds expense...airlines failing....farmers quitting..the whole works.
The hammer is falling and the truth will be exposed....finally
I ask you to please close this loophole before summer recess!
Your post is cracking me up as I would never name Olberman as true souce of anything. McCain finally smartened up because we should do my offshore drilling. It should have started 20 yrs ago but
no Congress decided not to do anything about it. It's too late for relief now but it will help us down the line.
You must own an oil company and watch fox muse.
The real operation chaos
McCain is working for the DEMs and after receiving the republican nomination, he will fold and embarrass the republicans... and get a little revenge for 2000 and 2004. This will work to subvert the republican party and ensure the government is returned to the hands of responsible democrats, this is his duty and all of the gaffes and flip flops so far is just the beginning;-)
The difficulty with the world is that many hings are never as simple as they seem despite the fact that other things are not as complex as we would will them. The imperative is for considered and informed perspectives and the need to avoid the simplistic. Unfortunately it strikes me that Mr kerry ahs confounded a great deal in part because of not understanding and in part because of not wanting to understand. A basic course or two in geology would demonstrate that there is no traditonal energy shortfall in North America--there is more oil than all the rerserves in the Midle East combined; there is ample coal for 600 years; there are vast untapped natural gas resources and there is enough uranium to be mined for all the nuclear power we will ever need virtually forever. This is not to say that alternatives would be a worthwhile investment, but to deny that the industrialized and industrializing world runs on petroleum and will do so for the next 200 years or more is less than wishful thinking, it is fanciful. I suggest what is needed is rationality and a decided turn to insure the economic welfare of this nation. Perhaps, f all politicians were required to be tutored in scinece, we would have less confusion.
I respect you deeply, Mr. Kerry, but really - I never fell for McCain's "straight talk." I hate to see that you're proud of having done so.
What really amazes me is that no one talks about what we can do to become less dependent on oil. They don't mention increasing mileage standards for all cars and light trucks sold in the US. They make no mention of alternative fuel sources, or conservation, its just drill, drill, drill and that way we will get more gas so energy companies can make more money and donate more to the politicians.
By the way has anyone ever stopped to understand that the oil companies are in business to make money. What makes you think that they will sell their oil in the US. They might sell a protion or none. The governement can't make them sell in the US. They will just drill and then sell overseas where they can get more money. Why doesn't anyone take the time to really look at the problem. Is it because the oil and automotive lobby has donated about 62 million to members of congress. If you stop and think that is over 100K for each member. No wonder we can't get an energy bill that will help the country. Just DRILL, DRILL, DRILL.
jdfast:
Perhaps you should read automobile enthusiast magazines. There are constantly articles on alternative power sources for cars.
All the major manufacturers are experimenting with fuel cells. Honda just put them on lease in California. That is because they can get hydrogen there and abot nowhere else. Did you knwo that a fuel cell for a car costs about $100,000 today?
mazda has been experimenting with hydrogen powered rotary engines and BMW has been doing the same with piston engines.
For about 3 years, The Automohbile and Science magazines have been writing about how bad an idea ethanol is.
Weren't CAFE standards just increased and sped up to a standard that can't be met because the cars for the cutoff date have already been designed?
You can already buy high MPG cars liek the VW TDI, Smart, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris and the nissan whatever.
You need to put away the ecological religious conspiracy theory and see what it actually takes to design a car and put it into production. You also ahve to think how we are goign to build a whole new fueld processing and distribution infrastructure.
Read this and pass along.
http://www.reelectnoone.com/electric_car.php
I have been trying my meager best to circulate the idea that most of our daily driving needs can be met by plug in electric cars. Not something new.
Been around over a hundred years! When gas was cheap they were pushed to the side. It is time to push automakers to offer us a low cost electric car. They know how to build them. They did so for California a few years ago and people loved them.
It's time to put pressure on Congress to make this more attractive to American drivers and the auto makers.
There are other significant disadvantages to electric cars: heavy lead/acid batteries--very toxic; danger of explosions; poor acceleration and low torque; short range. The Stanley Steamer was around as well and there are significant features of steam power, but again, except for very large vehicles, the cost/benefit ration is very low. There is a reason what the internal combustion engine is favored and works.
Today I emailed and faxed a letter to my governor, Charlie Crist in Florida asking him to oppose drilling and not be a McCain/Republican/Big Oil "Yes man". I also posted it on Opednews.com and encourage anyone and everyone to join me in knocking down more oil drilling. As so correctly stated above it will not lower gas prices but it WILL continue our dependence on gas to move America. We don't need more oil! We need to take a lesson from the price crisis and use this pain to move us away from fossil fuels toward pure plug-in electric cars which exist now and can meet the needs of 90% of the driving public.
I also would point out this oil is not on private land. It is in public space and residents of those states should receive royalty checks( not just taxes) . Why should public oil be sucked up and converted private wealth just because they have "special friends" in government?
I hope Crist does decide to keep the majority of Americans who do want more drilling. I conserve as much as I can but it's still not enough. I believe in looking at other sources but, as of now, we have to start drilling even though we are 20 yrs too late.
Re- The lands you are talking about are FEDERAL LANDS, not state lands. We do need more oil and we need the natural gas as well. You Floridians enjoy the oil and natural gas produced in Texas, Alabama, Miss , Lousiana and elsewhere and you think you have the right to deprive the American people of the resources owned by the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT and the American people as a whole. You are not entitled to royalties on anything unless you have production on private land owned by you. Florida is entitled to royalties on state lands and waters and will share a portion of the royalties abutting the federal waters. That is the law.
Thank God for someone like Gov. Frist who has the cojones to stand up for the needs of the country and not for the whiners like yourself.
The people of Alaska have this figured out
Why not stop pumping oil all togehter?
You won;t ahve to worry about the price of oil and its impact on people lives if we jsut don;t ahve it.
also, turn off all the nuclear pwoer plants, inclduing the ones that run our ships. hell, if we don;t have a military, no one will want to attck us, right?
When we are all done, we ca have a booming economy without cars, trucks, airplanes, ambulances... We should aspire to live like the people of Chad wiht nothing. we don't need greedy drug companies - just use witch doctors, who get paid by the government, of course.
We don't need to learn how to type either.
Perhaps you should send a message to the Cubans as well and urge them to rescind the drilling permits they issued the Chinese, the Canadians and the French to drill off of Florida. Or would you prefer purchasing oil from the American continental shelf and slope from them instead of American companies unable to secure permits to drill for the same oil.
This follow up is to provide a link to the article/letter I posted. It has been approved and can be read on line here now.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/FL-Gov-Crist--No-Oil-Wells-by-Paul-Kruger-080618-474.html
Please ask your friends to speak out against more drilling and FOR alternatives.
Thank you Senator Kerry for speaking out. The Repulican greed machine (a.k.a. Corporate Theocracy) must come down this election - we need all Dems with wisdom, intelligence, integrity, and character to come out punching, and not let up. Of course, slugging the Republicans with the truth - not swiftboating with lies and deception. The truth is enough to make the hair stand up on the back of our heads. Senator McCain has lost his bearings and integrity - he had no choice in order to become the nominee. Senator McCain has repeatedly caved into what he knows is best for this country and he is not fit to lead on any level. It is nothing short of pathetic that Senator John Kerry was not elected president 2004. Our mess has radically deepened thanks to McCain and Republicans. This country requires an immediate, real, and farsighted energy policy, and serious investment. This will not come from the Republican Oil Party. Obama's proposals at least give us some possibilities to survive our future.
The "mess" is a lack of will to develop our own energy resources instead of depending on the rest of the world. There is a rational solution: energy independence and political courage as well as a rational approach to natural resource development and less superficial reactions to technological and scientific issues.
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OBAMA / KERRY 2008
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You mean the same John McCain who only meekly objected to the Swiftboat attacks against you and couldn't get his good buddy George Bush to denounce this type of dirty deceptive campaigning? The same McCain who was campaigning hard to help reelect Bush? You mean the same John McCain who never lets inconvenient truths interfere with is own political ambitions? Oh, just please admit that you misjudged McCain all along just like you misjudged Bush when you voted to authorize the war in Iraq. These people didn't change. They are and have been the same lying uncurious opportunists they've always been even if on occasion they might do something different than what was expected from their party.
RJ Crane, topplebush.com
Historically, 91 percent of Republicans have favored development of oil and gas reserves while 86 percent of Democrats historically have been against oil and gas exploration and development.
Can anyone tell me where the CHANGE is going to take place? Higher taxes or worse yet, taxing privately held companies who they consider too profitable, that isn't good change.
War for oil, lets drill, we become energy independent that would be taken off the table.
Once we start drilling the price of oil will be lowered, before we even produced one drop. The prices are all based on speculation based on future demands.
Think before you vote
If you're voting based on energy/gas prices, you can't vote for Obama, he is part of the problem not the solution.
closing the loopholes for Wall Street oil speculators would do more for the price of oil than any drilling/exploration.
It would bring prices crashing down worldwide...I think it was Mr dorgan who brought this up on the senate floor today;-)
Interesting article Sen. Kerry- However I think there's a problem with the Huff Post website- I received the part of your article where you make yourself appear noble and intelligent by berating a congressional peer, but I failed to recieve the part of your article where you outline your energy proposals and original solutions to our nation's energy problems?
He was for oil and gas exploration before he voted against it.
Oh come on, he's not running for President after all. He's not under pressure to come up with a good plan - that's Sen. McCain's (and Sen. Obama's) task. The task of someone who doesn't want to see Sen. McCain as the next President is to point out the flaws in that plan.
Everyone's a critic...
Just goes to show what a flip-flopping opportunist McCain is. Probably always was.
His friends across the aisle just didn't want to see the clues.
Leopard? Meet spots.
Well-stated, Senator. I remember taking my then -14 and 16 year-old sons to Nevada in 2004 to register voters as a way of introducing them to the the voting process.Even amongst Republicans, they were angered about Bush going back on his word about Yucca Mountain, and, as we later found out, outright lying to Sen. Reid's face about his intentions. So here we are:deja' vu all over again. The only thing green about The Republican Party is their inexperience at telling the truth or committing to the common good of Americans.
Posted June 17, 2008 | 03:07 PM (EST)