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November 22, 2008 7:12:05 CST

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McCain Pander on Drilling Disappoints

Posted Jun 20, 08 8:30 CDT in Opinion,  Politics 

(Newser) – It's nothing new for the Bush administration to blame environmentalists for energy shortages, writes Paul Krugman in the New York Times. As early as 2001, Dick Cheney blamed green laws rather than rapacious energy companies for the California electricity shortage. But it's disappointing that John McCain has joined the bandwagon—especially as he, unlike Barack Obama, voted against Bush's "really terrible, special-interest-driven" 2005 energy bill.

McCain's reputation as a maverick is overstated, Krugman says, but on environmental issues the Arizona senator had shown some admirable independence. All that has been washed away with his endorsement of offshore drilling, which no serious economist or scientist thinks will put a dent in gas prices. All he's done, writes the columnist, is tie himself closer still to "the most unpopular president on record."

Source New York Times

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An offshore oil installation. John McCain's endorsement of offshore drilling represents an about-face for the candidate.   (AP Photo/Shell ho)
John McCain answers a question during a town hall-style meeting at the Landmark Center in Saint Paul, Minn.,Thursday, June 19, 2008.   (AP Photo/LM Otero)
John McCain answers a question during a town hall-style meeting in Saint Paul, Minn.,Thursday, June 19, 2008.   (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.., answers an audience member's question in Springfield, Mo., Wednesday, June 18, 2008.   (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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John McCain • George W. Bush • Dick Cheney • oil drilling • offshore oil • U.S. environmental laws


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