See, I Told You So! (Again)

When Obama said he was going to bring people together and unite the country, we had to know that it meant some compromises.

If you are still smarting after FISA, you'll need to sit down for this.

In Florida, Obama announced that he is willing to compromise on offshore drilling:

"My interest is in making sure we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," Obama said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post.

"If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage - I don't want to be so rigid that we can't get something done," Obama said.

Off-shore drilling has become a push-button issue in the presidential campaign since Republican candidate John McCain announced his support to open more of the country's coastline for drilling in order to reduce gas prices. Both candidates are campaigning in Florida today.

Obama has opposed exposing more coastline to drilling, saying that oil companies have not fully explored the areas open to drilling now and insisting that it would have little immediate impact on prices at the pump.

Why I STILL Have No Thrill for the Drill

(Cross-posted at MyDD and Democratic PartyBuilder)

You know, I love Jerome Armstrong. I really do. When so many of us Hillary Clinton Democrats were being bashed around everywhere else, he provided us with a warm & welcoming home over at MyDD. I'll always appreicate him for that. Oh yeah, and he's wicked smart as well!



But you know what, Barack Obama is our Democratic nominee. I've made peace with that. Oh yes, and I really like his energy & environment plan. And while I agree with Jerome on many other matters, I just have to disagree with him on this.











Sorry, but I simply don't see the logic of agreeing to the Bush-Cheney energy "plan" of attempting to solve all our problems by drilling for more oil! It simply makes no sense. It's a fleeting political fad that will soon fade, and worse yet it will do NOTHING to solve our energy crisis.



Believe me, lifting the offshore drilling ban will NOT lower gas prices. No, it really won't.  Oh yes, and more offshore drilling would destroy our coastline. Do we really want to lose our beaches and our coastal wildlife forever to do nothing about the energy crisis? And no matter how much the Rethuglicans tell us how "stupid" we are to be "Dr. No", we don't have to cave into them... We already have the facts on our side!




So what can we actually do to relieve the pain at the pump in the near term while also focusing on real energy solutions for the long term? Well, we can simply encourage the oil comapnies to drill on those 68 million acres of federal land where they already have leases! There, problem solved!



And at the same time, we can begin investing in our energy future. Invest in better conservation measures. Invest in clean, renewable energy. This is our energy future. T. Boone Pickens, the Center for American Progress, and many more real experts now agree that our future rests not with the same ol' oil, but with new ideas.



Let's face the facts. We're running out of oil. We're in the midst of a dangerous climate crisis. We need real solutions, not political gimmicks.



And btw, let's all support those who are calling for real solutions... Just an idea! ;-)