Six Reasons McCain's Lucky He Didn't Make It On That Oil Rig

Presidential politics ran on two tracks this week. Barack Obama roaming the world to widespread applause and great pictures. And John McCain and his campaign griping about it all.

For Thursday, McCain, a noted gambler, thought he had an ace in the hole to counter Obama's big Berlin speech. He would chopper out from Louisiana to an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Which would do two things. Remind everyone he was a naval aviator. And push his big new theme that more offshore oil drilling is the way to bring down sky-high gas prices. (The existence of which he blames on Obama, curiously, in his latest TV ad, ignoring that gas prices have tripled under President Bush.) All with really cool pix.

But his campaign had to cancel late Wednesday, officially because of the threat of inclement weather from nearby Hurricane Dolly. Which might have been a tip right there that the whole offshore drilling thing is, as putative panaceas go, pretty problematic.

McCain reportedly bemoaned the lost opportunity all yesterday.

It's somewhat surprising he's upset it didn't happen, as I think it would have been a real debacle.

Here are six reasons he is very fortunate he ended up at Schmidt's Sausage Haus -- no relation to campaign director Steve Schmidt -- in Ohio yesterday, rather than on a pitching oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico:

1. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, all offshore oil drilling opponents, were all scheduled to be in New Orleans to promote their national infrastructure project the same day as McCain's fandango off the coast of Louisiana. One, Schwarzenegger, is one of McCain's most famous backers, who has several times already derided the offshore drilling scheme. Another, Bloomberg, is a rumored running mate. As it happens, Schwarzenegger had to cancel Wednesday afternoon, on account of the state's ongoing budget crisis. But he would have been asked about it again had the stunt occurred. And Bloomberg and Rendell were in Louisiana, also at the ready to criticize McCain's move.

2. McCain would have had to answer questions about his evidently false statement attributing a $10 a barrel drop in oil prices to Bush's executive order on offshore drilling. It was after he made this gaffe that he exited a town hall meeting without doing his constant press avail.

3. He would have had to answer overall questions about offshore drilling as a false way to bring down current gas prices, since it would take a very long time for it to impact prices. McCain reversed his long-held position against offshore oil drilling, and attacks Obama in his new ad for continuing his opposition to offshore drilling, thus, somehow, causing high gasoline prices. However, the federal government's own energy information agency noted just last year that it would probably take some 22 years before new offshore drilling would have a significant impact on prices at the pump.

4. Then there is the matter of Hurricane Dolly. If it's a problem for the would-be next President of the United States to take a helicopter out to the rig because of a hurricane in the vicinity, isn't that a problem for his new energy policy?

5. There was also a big oil spill in the Mississippi River flowing into the Gulf. Very awkward timing, to say the least. And bad pictures. Over 400,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil spilled into the Mississippi River after a collision between a tanker and a barge, creating a picturesque 12-mile oil spill.

6. Finally, there is the matter of McCain's constant efforts to cut into Obama's media from abroad. He and the campaign were actually quite nasty about this, with a lot of personal denigration of Obama from staff and not one but two web videos deriding the press. And McCain himself practically called Obama a traitor, declaring that the freshman Illinois senator "would rather lose a war than lose a campaign."

Stunt choppering out to an oil rig to try to cut into the news flow wouldn't have looked too good.

As one top Republican consultant said, "Mac should have gone on vacation this week. This looks bad." Or maybe just done his thing campaigning intensively in a big swing state.

Instead of griping about missing his big opportunity on that Gulf oil rig, McCain should be thanking his lucky stars he didn't make it out there to face a raft of embarrassing questions and about 200,000 fewer people than were cheering on Obama and waving American flags in Berlin.

Comments

[neesy08]

"mccain should have gone on vacation this week. this looks bad." this quote is from a Repub.


Nuff said

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

Indeed. He is wrecking his image.

[BottomLine2008]

Already wrecked.

[liseworks]

Wry & enjoyable read - !!

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks!

[paulf40]

7. It would have focused attention on the more than one million dollars in donations that McCain has received from oil company employees and executives since he reversed his off shore drilling policy.

[BottomLine2008]

Did we just find that out?

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

Information available after this column was published.

[BottomLine2008]

McCain took in a lot of oil money. More yesterday in Bakersfield.

[LAB10]

And here I was thinking Mac just didn't want to get wet for fear of melting! Silly me.

[BottomLine2008]

His climate's changing.

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

Perhaps.

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

He's not a school child.

[BottomLine2008]

He's a 72-year old school child.

[DeSwiss]

Hurricane Dolly, eh? No, I don't think so. Dolly was tracking westerly away from New Orleans.

Actually, the reason for the postponement of McNumbskull's Great Oil-Rig Adventure, was that huge 12 mile long oil slick that was created when one tanker hit another and spewed over 400,000 gallons of thick tar-like crude into the water that the people down there drink. Oh, and it also closed the Mississippi River until further notice. http://www.katc.com//Global/story.asp?S=8719946&nav=EyAzMphL)

So I'm sure that they didn't want a lot of cameras rolling -- clearly showing all the negative impacts that can come about from oil spills caused not by "acts of nature," but by us error-prone humans. And to have those visuals fresh in people's minds when he starts yammering about how "safe" and "uneventful" the process of off-shore oil drilling can be.

[BottomLine2008]

The article says it.

< 4. Then there is the matter of Hurricane Dolly. If it's a problem for the would-be next President of the United States to take a helicopter out to the rig because of a hurricane in the vicinity, isn't that a problem for his new energy policy?

5. There was also a big oil spill in the Mississippi River flowing into the Gulf. Very awkward timing, to say the least. And bad pictures. Over 400,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil spilled into the Mississippi River after a collision between a tanker and a barge, creating a picturesque 12-mile oil spill.

[SC341]

Well you people in here need to face the facts, if we can't run our cars on Oil, we're going to have to find a substitute fast or our economy will grind to a total halt. So what do you suggest? We can't run cars or fly planes for that matter on solar or wind. Electric cars are feasible, but you need to generate electricity to run them on and I doubt there's enough wind power in the country to run our cars on. Or solar for that matter. I read in the Der Spiegal online edition that they're going to be building a lot more nuclear plants in Japan, the place where the Kyoto Protocol eminated from. Japan would be using solar or wind if they thought it would generate enough electricity for them. They are building nuclear power plants all around the world. We have to face facts and build lots more nuclear power plants in the U.S. also, in addition to renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Also, they had a leak from one of their nuclear plants in Japan due to an earthquake or something and they don't care, they are still going to build nuclear power plants. They are going to build nuclear power plants in China also. One other thing, we need to drill for natural gas also to heat our homes as well as potentially to fuel more vehicles, where do you think natural gas comes from?

[liseworks]

"Well you people in here need to face the facts, if we can't run our cars on Oil, we're going to have to find a substitute fast or our economy will grind to a total halt.
So what do you suggest?"

I suggest we all (as I've done) make adjustments, slow down a bit, stop & smell the roses, walk, ride a bike when possible, use alternative means of transportation, use a car more sparingly.
It's going to take alternative lifestyles to make us all come to our senses about how spoiled & indulgent we've become.

[BottomLine2008]

If McCain hadn't voted against all fuel efficiency bills, our cars would need half the gas they use to run. Do the math.

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

By Thursday, yes.

But there were still high winds dangerous for helo traffic.

[BottomLine2008]

If he can't brave the sidewinds of a hurricane, who the hell is he kidding about offshore drilling?

[pmag88]

I can't remember the name of the republican pundit, but a few days ago on the situation rm, opposite Donna Brazile, his closing statement was that 'perception will always trump the facts'. Very blatant and very smug, and of course very typical.

The salient difference between the Republicans Vs the Democrats is just that. Perception Vs Reality.

[BottomLine2008]

Was it Tucker Carlson?

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

It was not Tucker Carlson. He's on MSNBC.

[emcd]

How could the McCain campaign appear any more inept? It almost reads like a comedy.

And yet, both national and state polls show the race is still close, within the margin of error nationally and in a lot of states.

Scary

[BottomLine2008]

No, you're wrong.

< How could the McCain campaign appear any more inept? It almost reads like a comedy.

And yet, both national and state polls show the race is still close, within the margin of error nationally and in a lot of states.

[JBS]

> How could the McCain campaign appear any more inept?

I guess they're just trying harder.

[rucognizant]

Do you really think the polls are accurate?
I have been kicked off several polls because
I DON"T FIT THEIR DESIRED DEMIGRAPHIC!

[BottomLine2008]

Theire demigraphic?

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

Many polls are not accurate.

Obama is ahead.

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

There are underlying dynamics in the Republican Party that make this very complex.

[Peachie49]

I WANT MCCAIN TO WIN IN NOVEMBER, SO ALL THOSE SILLY PEOPLE WHO RANTED ABOUT NONSENSE SUCH AS OBAMA IS MUSLIM OR REV WRIGHT AND A BUNCH OF OTHER STUPID STUFF THAT HAS ABSOLUTELY NO EFFECT ON THE ISSUES, CAN SAY HOW WONDERFUL IT IS FOR THE BOTTOM TO FALL OUT OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY AS MORE HOME FORECLOSURES, COMPANY CLOSURES, OCCUR. OH, YOU RACISTS, YOU WILL HAVE A MUSLIM AND A DARK-SKINNED MCCAIN IN THE WHITE HOUSE AS WELL BECAUSE HIS YOUNGEST DAUGHTER IS A NATIVE OF BANGLADESH, WHICH IS A MUSLIM COUNTRY. YOU REALLY SHOW THE WORLD HOW IGNORANT YOU ARE. THE JOKE IS ON YOU!

[BottomLine2008]

You want to destroy the village to save it.

[HappyDaddy]

No, it appears that Peachie49 wants to destroy the village just to have his smug feeling of schadenfreude. I'd much rather have America strong again under more virtuous leadership so my daughter can grow up in the country our forefathers envisioned. McCain is not the man to make that happen. He espouses all the policies of the current White House resident that have brought this country to its lowly state.

[2bad]

There's more than one flaw in your theory, the least of which is thousands of more American soldiers will die needlessly in Iran if McSurge is elected. Not to mention depression-like economic times would be emminent for middle-class Americans.

[neesy08]

what ever happened to the luck of the irish?

[brendanm]

McCain isn't Irish.

[BottomLine2008]

McCain is Scotch and Irish.

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

Still there, I think. But he's not exactly Irish.

[Raymondf]

It's the same as oil made from corn, what do we do when tornados and floods hit the corn belt like they did this year. Plus using corn drives up food prices. Using any food product to make oil will drive up food prices. If not oil, clean coal is the only way to go.

[RobertAndropolis]

Ethanol, I heard, is made from non-consumer corn, but then I may be as misinformed as you.

[mikeh41]

ALL corn is consumer corn & used in some way in the food chain.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Thanks for setting them straight.

For the other numskull who responded to you only the start from corn is used to create ethanol, the gluten and the rest goes to animal feed.

Ethanol has it's pluses and minuses but it is renewable which is a huge plus.

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

Ethanol is made from a foodstock.

As currently done in the US.

What we need to do is switch to cellulosic ethanol, as in Brazil.

[findingthetruth]

That's quite alright. McCain and Co has three (3) full months to look idiotic.

[barackobama4prez]

What pisses me off is no matter what Daddy Warbucks does, he's never losing ground as hero. Same backwards thinking that got Dubya elected twice.

[BottomLine2008]

He's wrong. But he's still a hero.

[schatsie]

McCain is also an ANGRY WHITE MAN.... Do you remember Bush's first debate? He stalked around like an angry turkey and a lot of me related to that. (because you know us women have taken away their jobs, right...

The message is that in the last 30 years, the rich have gotten richer and the rest of us have lost our pensions and healthcare and received no raises because the top 1% has stolen the banks and all of the profits. Even stockholders are barely making more than inflation because the stock profits are probably going to the 'insiders'­....

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Surviving does not make him a hero. In my eyes he's a victim.

[biglover]

He's not hero. Heroes save lives. McCain got shot down and squealed like a bird. He is no hero. He is a former POW. Big difference.

[northcan]

What a stupid, childish, angry idiot, this man is. He's shaming even George Bush and the Repub Party. They don't want to be seen at the convention with him. Sorry ass.

[ChescoMom]

What about McCain visiting those three towns that were called Berlin? Berlin, PA; Berlin, NH? and one more--couldn't find the news article I read yesterday-- I mean, how $tupid is that?

[BottomLine2008]

Berlin, Ohio.

[veracity]

The bottom line is that those who support the Bush-Cheney-GOP administration (including the corporate media, the oil lobby, the financial, insurance, banking, brokerage houses, and credit extortion lobbies; the Big Pharma lobby, the defense/war-lobby and AIPAC lobby, and of course John McCain and his campaign) support Bush & Cheney KICKING AMERICA'S ENERGY POLICY _BACKWARDS_ THREE FULL DECADES, all the way back to the 1974 Arab oil embargo following the 1973 Yom Kipper war!

It is quite amazing how the American public, and the throughoughly CORRUPTED press & media, gaze on, drolling like drugged-out Pavlov dogs, as if this is the Natural Order of things!

HELLO? America put men on the moon... IN 1969! NOT A SINGLE BATTERY on those spaceships use lead-acid battery technology, because acid freezes in space. But almost FOUR DECADES LATER - damn near a half century - America's ENTIRE auto fleet is still using primative lead-acid batteries!

Hell, Toyota had to KILL its all-electric RAV4-EV production line, because Chevron execs SUED Toyota & Panasonic for $30 million for patent infringement, Chevron holding the patent on the modern batteries which gave the RAV4-EV a 150 mile range (per charge) at highway speeds (perfect for commuting, even without a re-charge at work).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_RAV4_EV

Today, on the subject of America's vital, critical energy policy, the entire American press/media are like cows being led by a nose-ring up the slaughter chute!

[rmreddicks]

"HELLO? America put men on the moon... IN 1969!" And also used a lot of 64K memory laden computers. All be it a lot of them.

[ProgressiveBum]

Couldn't agree with you more...