Here is an extensive fact-check of the statements Sarah Palin made in her speech last night, that I received in my email earlier today.
If you missed the Sarah Palin speech you can see it in full here.
Breaking: Cheney’s Office Pushed for Trims to EPA Congressional Testimony
Vice President Cheney’s office pushed for major deletions in congressional testimony on the public health consequences of climate change, fearing the presentation might make it harder to avoid regulating greenhouse gases, a former EPA officials said.
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TPM is reporting…
Vice President Dick Cheney’s office apparently worked to cut swaths of the Center for Disease Control’s congressional testimony on the effects of greenhouse gases.
The information was revealed in a letter from recently-resigned associate deputy EPA administrator, Jason Burnett, obtained by the AP, to Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA):
From Think Progress…
The White House’s deletions — which were “overwhelmingly denounced” by scientists and environmental health experts — included “details on how many people might be adversely affected because of increased warming and the scientific basis for some of the CDC’s analysis on what kinds of diseases might be spread in a warmer climate and rising sea levels.” (See the unredacted testimony here.)
Much more to come on this.
The Defense Department is the nation’s biggest polluter. But, the Pentagon doesn’t want to clean up their mess, even when the health of the environment and the American people are at risk.
From The Washington Post
The Defense Department, the nation’s biggest polluter, is resisting orders from the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up Fort Meade and two other military bases where the EPA says dumped chemicals pose “imminent and substantial” dangers to public health and the environment.
DoD Defies EPA on Military Site Cleanups…
In other words, the Pentagon’s response is a blend of “I’ll do it because I want to, not because you tell me to” and “who’s gonna make me?” Aren’t you comforted to know that a third-grade mentality is driving the response to dangerous chemicals leaking into soil and groundwater?
Roundup: Election Politics of Offshore Oil Drilling — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at The Care2 Election Blog)
Yesterday was my first post in a series on the gas crisis and offshore drilling. For that reason, I decided today’s political blog roundup will focus on the different opinions and reactions from around the blogosphere on this issue. We have some for drilling, and some against it. Let me know what you think in comments.
I’ll start with my personal opinion/theory regarding the relationship between high gas prices and the recent announcement by Bush/McCain to lift a ban on offshore drilling…
With regards to the gas & oil crisis — Does anyone else get the feeling we have been manipulated and duped AGAIN by the Bush administration? It’s all starting to feel really familiar.
1. Scare the American people (in this case with increasing gas prices).
2. Appear to be doing everything you can to get to the bottom of the crisis (go to OPEC, hold hearings, etc.)
3. Just when there appears to be nothing anyone can do…The Bush administration comes to the rescue and announces a plan to lift the ban on offshore oil drilling, because it’s the only way to help the American people and lower the price of gas.
Sound familiar?
What came first? The crisis or the solution?
I think with closer inspection (most likely after there is nothing anyone can do to change the outcome) - Revelations will come to light, that the Bush administration manipulated the “speculators” to cause an unnecessary but dramatic rise in gas/oil prices…For the ultimate purpose of lifting the ban on offshore drilling, and giving the brass ring to the oil companies.
Additionally, this is going to be the GOP “ace” in the hole, and “the perfect storm” for facilitating a third Bush presidency. I imagine it will go something like this…
The Democrats want to continue making you pay high gas prices during a weak economy…But the Republicans want to help you keep more of your hard earned money….bla, bla, bla.
The trouble is…there is no evidence that offshore drilling will help in the short or even long term. But that is not the “spin” you will be hearing from Bush/McCain. What at first appeared to me as a campaign killer for McCain, could actually be part of a carefully orchestrated campaign winner. Give McCain the experience, the Iraq war, and now the illusion of helping the economy (the number one issue of the American people). I shutter to think.
So, that’s what I think. However, not everyone agrees with me.
Shocking!
Well, not really.
But, I do want to take a look at all sides of this issue. Admittedly, mine is a very visceral reaction to the news of possible offshore drilling.
Let’s take a look at what other bloggers are saying about this. We’ll start with my good friend, Kay B. Day, from Covering Florida and Right Commentary, who has a totally different opinion from mine.
Earlier in the week I reached out to a couple of people to see what their take was on offshore drilling, and she was kind enough to send me her thoughts in an email. Although I don’t completely agree with her on this one…I must admit, she has a much more thought-out response to it. Here it is…
McCain Flip-Flops on Offshore Oil Drilling - by Catherine Morgan
John McCain is using our sky-high gas prices to justify his flip-flopping on the issue of offshore oil drilling. I mentioned this yesterday in a post, and questioned why the MSM didn’t seem to notice. Today, they have noticed.
However, there is no evidence that allowing more offshore drilling will help in reducing the price of gas in the near future (as McCain is suggesting), or even the far future. But, I guess the McCain campaign is hoping you will be fooled, and vote for McCain in the hopes of lower gas prices.
Here is an interesting clip from The Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer…
SEE VIDEO AND READ FULL POST AT THE CARE2 ELECTION BLOG
How High Will Gas Prices Go? - by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at The Care2 Election Blog)
I think the gas crisis is here to stay, and I don’t think drilling for more oil will ever be the answer. And for the life of me, I can not understand why we don’t already have automobiles that get excellent gas millage? If we did, high gas prices wouldn’t really matter so much.
What is more important - lower gas prices or cars that get better gas millage?
Congress Considering Bill that Could Raise Gas Prices…
Congress is considering a bill that may raise the cost of gasoline. The Heritage Foundation recently came out with a study examining the state-by-state affects of this proposed legislation. Nationally the bill could raise the cost of gasoline by 20% over the next 17 years!
On the surface, this seems like a strange move for Congress considering the current frustration over the high price of gasoline. Like everything, however, there are tradeoffs to consider. What is Congress attempting to achieve with this legislation? Lower carbon emissions (yes, the bill in question is S. 2191 the Global Climate Change legislation). Are you willing to pay an extra $300 a year for gasoline? Perhaps a better question is whether you are willing to force everyone to face this price? This is important to think about when considering this legislation (other concerns that the study looks at are job loss and other energy prices).
Ben Lieberman of the Heritage Foundation writes that legislation pending in Congress - set for a vote next week- could raise gasoline prices to $8 a gallon. The bill is called the America’s Climate Security Act and is sponsored by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn) and John Warner (R-Virginia).
In an effort to reduce global warming, it would place limits on the amount of gasoline and other fossil fuels Americans can use, writes Ben Lieberman. Europe has similar anti global-warming measures, he writes, and gasoline is $8 a gallon.
But he argues that even if Americans reduce driving because of the bill, China and India will continue to use more, offsetting U.S. gains. Read analysis here.
Should Congress delay the fight against global warming if it will mean drastically higher fuel prices and further jeapordize the U.S. economy?
Sally at Tree City Times…
Gas is now flirting with $4 a gallon ($3.99 a gallon, so figure, yeah, it’s already up to $4, so to speak) and the oil companies literally have us over a barrel. They know that we need gas to run our cars and oil to run - and produce - just about everything else, so Wall Street speculators can run up the price of oil as high as they want and not suffer the consequences, because they’re all filthy rich anyway and it really doesn’t pain them to fill up at such high prices. But for the rest of us, we’re all wondering how on earth we can manage to make it in this economy. I’ve literally been reduced to living paycheck to paycheck, with no ability to save any money whatsoever. And I’m hardly living beyond my means, either. Just paying monthly bills, filling my car with gas and buying groceries, in addition to paying for ridiculous health care costs, is leaving me scrambling to figure out how on earth I am going to survive on the $25,000 a year I currently make. There is literally no slack in the budget anymore. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. It costs me literally almost every dime I make a month just to survive on bare bones basics.
How to save money on gas prices…
Also See:
What Is The Real Reason Gas Prices Are So High?
Skyrocketing Gas Prices + Fear = Billions of Big Oil
Oil Companies - How Green Are They? — Posted by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at The Care2 Election Blog)
Are the oil companies going green? If by “green” we are talking about cold hard cash…The oil companies are very, very green. In fact, their cups runneth over with greenness. However, in this case, the oil companies (a.k.a. Big Oil) are spending a lot of money on commercials designed to convince you and me that they are investing in our environmental future. So, how green are they?
So what do you think? Are the oil companies really going green? Or, are they just playing green on tv?
Personally, I think they should be required to spend a certain percentage of their profits on green alternatives to oil…at the very least.
Would John McCain Be Good For The Environment? — by Catherine Morgan (cross-posted at The Care2 Election Blog)
Does John McCain really care about the environment? Or, is it more McCain double-talk, masquerading as McCain straight-talk?
See what the press and the pundits are saying about McCain’s environmental policy. And let me know what you think in comments?
From Media Matters…
Summary: Reuters reported that Sen. John McCain would pledge “to take the lead in combating global climate change if elected president in a speech that set him apart from the policies of U.S. President George W. Bush.” However, in reporting on McCain’s environmental positions that his campaign believes will “win support from independents and centrist Democrats,” Reuters did not mention his voting record and did not include any criticism of McCain’s positions. By contrast, The Washington Post noted that “McCain’s lifetime League of Conservation Voters score is 24 percent, compared with 86 for Obama and 86 for Clinton.” — read full Media Matters article
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