THE OBAMA CRUSADE: Day 22

TODAY:


Everyone is still talking about the 180-degree switch that Senator Obama made yesterday. And I'm not talking about the request for seated delegates from Florida and Michigan. I'm talking about the energy plan that Obama unveiled yesterday afternoon.

As you should already know, it is a major position within the Democratic party that there should be no offshore oil drilling. But now, with the help of a bipartisan group of senators known as "The Gang of 10", it appears that we are finally going to start. He gave a speech at Michigan State University that signaled his support for what Republickins have wanted for a very long time.

In his speech, Obama indicated that his shift on offshore drilling is political, not philosophical. "I still don't believe that's a particularly meaningful short-term or long-term position," he said, but added that he did not want to make "the perfect the enemy of the good." In that sense, he still appears to differ from McCain, who has made expanding offshore drilling a centerpiece of his energy plan, including drilling off the California coastline, which is not included in the Gang of 10's plan and is strongly opposed by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

SOURCE: US NEWS & WORLD REPORT

I need to look into Obama's energy policy a little bit more before I say too much about this one. I have heard rumors for years that the strategic oil reserves of the U.S. are not really that significant or plentiful. I know that the ANWR province is supposed to be a wildlife refuge, so I don't like the idea of us going in to drill for oil where animals on the verge of extinction are trying to repopulate or just live out their remaining days. But I understand that these gas prices are a beeyatch, and I know that it's the role of a POTUS to make critical decisions that people don't always agree with when the time comes to act.

If you ask axe me, Obama's shift towards the center is very, very risky, and is probably why he is not gaining on McCain in the polls, which of course are janky. But he is gambling with his base, which could always be intercepted by a Green or Libertarian Party candidate. Cynthia McKinney and Rosa Clemente are still out there looking for support. If I were him, right now I'd be holding out until after the convention to make any other centrist policy statements, instead of moving away from the left wing.

Especially when you consider THIS NONSENSE.

As you can tell, we are now in the pre-convention turbulence segment of the POTUS campaign.