Time to roast a few more tailfeathers.
Posted on 06/20/2008 10:39:26 AM PDT by kingattax
By pushing a bill that distances himself from the Democratic Party and its presidential candidate on offshore drilling, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia is picking a curious time to exercise his well-known independence.
Webb wants his home state to have the right to explore for energy off Virginia’s coast. His staff insists his proposal pertains only to natural gas, and not oil, and that it is completely in line with the state’s other two leading Democrats — Gov. Tim Kaine and former Gov. Mark Warner, who is running for Senate.
Yet by attaching his name to the bill, sponsored by Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), Webb is taking a step away from Barack Obama (D-Ill.), the party’s presidential candidate, who opposes offshore drilling, and one closer to Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the GOP standard-bearer who recently called for lifting the federal ban.
Webb’s divergence from his party also comes as his name is being mentioned on Obama’s short list for a running mate.
A key McCain ally, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, seized on the similarities between Webb and McCain on offshore drilling.
“It shows Sen. Webb is right sometimes,” Graham said.
Webb rejected the suggestion that his position differs from other Democrats’, saying that the bill calls for “a very careful approach,” state leaders would be a key part of the decision, and Virginia desperately needs the revenue stream for cash-starved transportation needs. Such decisions therefore should be made by Virginia, not Washington, he said.
“We can’t just not act,” he said. “It’s time we had some leadership to really grab the larger picture and solve these problems.”
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D) of Illinois and Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of New York dismissed any concerns about Webb’s stance, saying they did not notice his proposal Wednesday. Durbin, however, pointedly rejected Webb’s argument that states should have the right to make drilling decisions.
“There’s national concerns here, too,” Durbin said.
The Obama campaign would not directly address Webb’s proposal, but instead pointed to a statement Obama released Wednesday on offshore drilling.
“Opening our coastlines to offshore drilling would take at least a decade to produce any oil at all, and the effect on gasoline prices would be negligible at best since America only has 3 percent of the world’s oil,” Obama said in a statement that did not explicitly distinguish between oil and gas drilling.
McCain on Tuesday reversed a long-held stance and called for states to have the right to explore for oil offshore. A pair of federal moratoriums have been in place since the 1980s — one controlled by the executive branch, one by Congress — that bar offshore drilling.
Webb’s proposal, unveiled Wednesday with John Warner, would allow Virginia to request a federal waiver to drill for natural gas at least 50 miles from the coastline on an exploration-only basis. A second waiver would be needed if gas is found, and any revenues would be split between state and federal coffers.
The legislation “offers a preliminary step toward exploration and development of one of our domestic energy sources,” Webb said. “In order to address our nation’s energy crisis, all options need to be on the table.”
One of Virginia’s most prominent environmental groups also opposes Webb’s idea, saying there is no plausible environmental distinction between gas and oil drilling and that any environmental damage would spread far beyond Virginia’s coast.
“This puts the camel’s nose under the tent,” said Glen Besa, director of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, which has 17,000 members in the commonwealth. “And the risk associated with this would affect not just Virginia. It would affect Maryland. It would affect North Carolina. You can’t just do this on a one-state-only basis.”
Kaine has carefully distinguished between oil and gas drilling, saying that Virginia so far does not endorse oil exploration. Mark Warner, campaigning Wednesday in the state, advocated lifting the federal moratorium on oil drilling to allow Virginia to explore. He also distinguished between oil and gas, saying that natural gas presents fewer environmental risks.
DRILLING PING
Even a pedophilic author gets it.
So if they find oil, what are they going to do?
I don’t think that would include Webb or Gov. Kaine.
Why not wait and see?
One nice thing about Virginia is that for the most part our Democrats are a lot more moderate than your typical Vermont or San Francisco commie socialist.
Webb would never be Obama’s VP. Webb is too good for Obama and they both know it. It would be like McCain having Fred Thompson for his VP.
They’ll probably pump it back down since they say they are only looking for gas.
Obama will make or break this Republic. Gas prices will be the tipping point to save us (just like Elian saved us in 2000 by tipping Fla to Dubya). We get a few more years.
I wouldn’t know.
Well Dumbo Jr, those two products many times come as a package deal.
While your point hits the target, liberals and dems simply refer to such creative endeavors as “art”.
But how could a normal person have known that?
“Glen Besa, director of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, which has 17,000 members in the commonwealth.”
A fine example of how 17,000 people control the public policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
I’ve been checking CSPAN intermittently these past few days.
The dems have mounted a full-court press to fight drilling but it’s not going to last.
You are sorta right, but Ann Coulter is the Authority on this subject. You are speaking in a weak moment of compassion.
As she so prominently states:
” If Democrats had ANY Brains, they would be Republicans!”
Therefore it is proven conclusively that WEBB is Brainless by definition!
Mark Warner’s energy page:
http://www.markwarner2008.com/2008/6/18/real-energy-solutions
Here is a summary of what he proposes:
Short-Term Solutions:
• Crackdown on oil speculators who are manipulating the market
• Apply pressure to OPEC nations to produce more, while empowering the Justice Department to crackdown on price gouging.
• Promote telecommuting and optional, flexible work schedules
Intermediate Solutions:
• Expanding a tax credit for hybrid and battery technology vehicles
• Dramatically increase our research and development, to encourage innovative new technologies and alternative sources
• Off-shore exploration in search of natural gas
Long-Term Solutions:
• Working with auto makers to raise fuel efficiency standards
• Upgrade and expand domestic refining capacity
• Implement cap-and-trade proposals to responsibly limit carbon emissions
“There’s national international concerns here, too,” Durbin said.
This one's no surprise, eh?
The Obama campaign would not directly address Webb’s proposal, but instead pointed to a statement Obama released Wednesday on offshore drilling.
“Opening our coastlines to offshore drilling would take at least a decade to produce any oil at all, and the effect on gasoline prices would be negligible at best since America only has 3 percent of the world’s oil,” Obama said in a statement that did not explicitly distinguish between oil and gas drilling.
With that attitude why bother getting out of bed.
I don’t think he’s that dumb. If they drill and find any reserves, then they can always say, “Oh, well, I guess we’ll just have to take the oil out, too, but we’ll be very careful to respect the environment, unlike those evil Republicans.”
The GOP should put out a ‘Fight the Lies’ website about oil and gas drilling. Here is a few lies to start debunking:
“We can’t drill our way out of this”
“America has only 3% of the worlds resources”
“It was take a decade or more for any oil to reach the market”
“ANWR would only cause a one cent reduction in the price of gas”
“ANWR only contains 4M barrels of oil at most”
“Oil rigs are a danger to sealife and spills could destroy our beaches and tourism”
“If we could raise the CAFE standards by 1 MPG we could save all the oil we get from Saudia Arabia each year”
The list of lies (especially the statistics about oil supply, reserves, field sizes) is massive and they are included in every press release from the DNC like the one Obama put out here.
Virginia Senator James Webb: Washington's Most Unlikely Revolutionary
What a complete moron. Doesn't he realize that if we announce to the world that we're going to start drilling, oil prices will drop dramatically? His grasp of economics and free market principles is non-existent.
It's none of your business, Durbin, if a state wants to drill or not!
Tell the 17,000 Freaks to pound sand, only 17,000 making the Politicians quake in their boots because the silent majority takes the slop thrown to them uncontested.
Jim Gilmore’s page about energy:
Republicans get energy
http://www.jimgilmoreforsenate.com/?q=node/268
Republicans Get Energy
Conservativa notes how Republicans Get Energy
Republican races from presidential to state are realizing that energy is the issue this year. President Bush speaking in the Rose Garden yesterday. John McCain speaking yesterday. Common sense from Jim Gilmore. Del. Chris Saxman will be introducing legislation in Virginia’s Special Session “that will dedicate all future revenues and royalties that are paid to the Commonwealth as a result of offshore natural gas and oil drilling to the Transportation Trust Fund.”
If Webb were Obama’s running mate he would have a very difficult time defending the messiah’s unapologetic stance favoring Partial Birth Abortion since Webb does not. I think Obama’s running mate is going to be Tom Daschle. He’s very liberal like Obama, he has befriended the messiah and helped him tremendously during his 3 1/2 years in DC. Obama has come to trust his counsel and advice, plus if he wins he will need someone at his side who he trusts and who knows how Washington works. A dem version of Cheney.
good ol’ dickie durbin and the other globalist goons in the senate and house of reps will never do anything that will benefit america. maybe enough voters will finally wake up before it’s too late and we can finally get rid of this anti-american trash.
That’s great!
“his staff insists his proposal pertains only to natural gas, and not to oil...”
one supposes that if oil is discovered, and not gas, the well will be capped because oil is a dirty capitalist tool.
(vote the scu&bag communist democrats and rinos OUT!!!)
That is changing...
Obama will never pick Webb, because Obama already has issues with the feminist Hillary supporters, and Webb has said and written things that have angered women in the past.
Good one..
Obama and the Democrats need a way to back off their original stupidity of supporting higher taxes and the enviromentals message of the earths doom and gloom.
So what better way than for Obamas future or potential VP candidate to run a red hearing in front of the noses of the MSM.
The Democrats read the polls and know that a couple of folks in Republican leadership finally woke up from their 1994 stupor to take on the cause of drilling that the citizens support 2 to 1.
Some of the less insane Democrat leadership realize that the Environmental Bicycle they are riding has hit a muddy country road.
They realize that the citizenry will not put up with high energy costs without demanding a bunch of environmental political heads in return.
Yep, the Democrats and their main man BHO have bitten off a big piece of dill pickle pie and their stance just might sour the voters come this fall.
Just the lowly opinion of a red state wannabe.
Their fingers are in the wind,
and they’ve detected a change in direction.
I’m stunned. Born Idiot the blind squirrel found an acorn.
}:-)4
Can anybody say a millstone hanging around any democrats neck.. Odds are that most democrats HATE... HATE paying 4/5 dollars gallon for gas.. I'm talking serious oil just off the shores of the East Coast States..
Some republicans(and even democrats) could really make a name for themselves just pointing out the benefits of all that oil..
Bingo
One may suppose, but I doubt many...
I’m trying to think of a reason to drill our coastal waters for gas, but not oil......hmmm........perhaps because SUV’s can’t run on natural gas? I don’t know. There’s something fishy about this (no pun intended).
WHAT IF...THEY DID DRILL!!!
See #22
If they did drill.. they'd need more new refinerys too.. and Oh! heck.. why not add a few Nuclear Reactors too.. And WHY NOT tax breaks for cars that run 40 to 50 miles on an electrical charge.. eliminating the need for a lot of gas/diesel.. not all but a lot.. and tax breaks for battery or capacitor replacement..
Nothing but socialist trash.
What if they hit oil while drilling for gas? Probably cap it. You have to be an idiot to be a Democrat.
“one may suppose, bit i doubt many.......”
(waiting for the other shoe to drop...”
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