Earth Equity News

Obama and McCain Trade Environmental Jabs. By Michael Powell and Michael Cooper, NYTimes, June 25, 2008. "Mr. McCain [said] Monday in Fresno... that even though the nation might take years to benefit from offshore drilling, 'exploiting those reserves would have psychological impact that I think is beneficial.' Mr. Obama seized on those comments while speaking... [in Las Vegas]. 'Psychological impact'?... In case you're wondering, that's Washington-speak for, It polls well'... [McCain] suffered a bit of an embarrassment on Tuesday in Santa Barbara... as he heard his own invited panelist, Michael Feeney [of] the Land Trust for Santa Barbara, worry aloud about offshore drilling. 'It makes me nervous to think about those who are proposing to drain America's offshore oil and gas reserves as quickly as possible in the hopes of driving down the price of gasoline,' Mr. Feeney said... [Obama] also poked fun at Mr. McCain's... suggestion to establish a $300 million prize for the scientist who could come up with a long-lasting car battery. 'When [President Kennedy] decided that we were going to put a man on the Moon, he didn't put a bounty out for some rocket scientist to win... He put the full resources of the U.S. government behind the project'... Mr. McCain lashed back... 'It's easy to say 'no' to everything,' [he] said. 'That's what Senator Obama is doing.'"