James Jones

Obama VP possibility heads establishment energy advocacy group 6

Ret. Gen. James JonesApparently a new name has popped up on the Obama VP short list: Ret. Gen. James Jones, highly regarded and highly decorated Marine from Missouri. He was NATO Supreme Allied Commander from 2003-2006, when Wiki says he "declined an opportunity to succeed General John P. Abizaid as Commander of U.S. Central Command, and stepped down as SACEUR on December 4, 2006 and retired from the U.S. Marine Corps on February 1, 2007."

These days he runs the Institute for 21st Century Energy, an arm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce dedicated to "educating the public" about energy -- at least as the Chamber sees it. (To get a sense of what that looks like, see his introductory remarks here, particularly at the bottom under "underlying principles.") He's also on the board of Chevron.

Intriguing that Obama is looking at someone who combines military cred and a focus on energy. On the other hand, a Chamber of Commerce energy policy is not exactly what the nation needs at this particular juncture.

David Roberts is staff writer for Grist. You can follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/drgrist.

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  1. Erik Hoffner's avatar

    Erik Hoffner Posted 12:32 am
    11 Jun 2008

    o boyI don't trust anyone attached to the bile-pile that is the US Chamber of Commerce. I've never heard them take a position on an issue that I cared about that wasn't the opposite of my own.
    Erik

    The Orion Grassroots Network: 1,200+ grassroots groups working for conservation & more

  2. bigTom Posted 2:44 am
    11 Jun 2008

    maybe, but his focus?  Maybe it would be good politically (military creds). I do think energy is going to rapidly rise to being a very important issue early in the next administration, if not earlier, so having someone who is knowledgeable about it is important. Most of us left leaners are not comfortable with military background, but this election is going to be fought in the center of the political spectrum.
  3. Alex 77 Posted 3:08 am
    11 Jun 2008

    I'd rather it be Lieberman.What a terrifying choice this would be. The US Chamber of Commerce's stances on everything from climate change to CAFE standards have been the polar opposite of what would be called progress by the environmental community. His speech that is linked to above could have been written by Dick Cheney, and is an energy supply-sider's wet dream, focusing on: increased production of all fossil fuels, increased consumption, exclusively technology based efficiency improvements, protection of maximized economic growth at the expense of the climate, and expansion of "alternative fuels" (code for biofuels, CC&S-ready coal plants, nukular, etc.)
    I can't imagine a choice for VP that would more effectively dash my hopes for the promise of an Obama presidency.

  4. Tasermons Partner Posted 4:47 am
    11 Jun 2008

    I don't think......this guy would make it.  He'd probably be too conservative for Obama, even if he was tryin' to "even out" his ticket with some military types.
    ...Then again, what the heck do I know 'bout politics?
  5. Wolverine Posted 9:02 am
    11 Jun 2008

    This Is Totally ConsistentThose of you under the delusion that Barak Obama is some sort of progressive are in for a very rude awakening.  Obama not only supports the coal and nuclear industries, but is a big supporter of the military industrial complex, from where ALL of his foreign policy advisors originate, and of U.S. imperialism.
    At best, Obama is a liberal, which means he supports the status quo but want some small changes, like bringing SOME of the troops home from Iraq, which is all he's ever said he'd do, and probably using them to fight in Pakistan or Iran.  If these are not your views, you should get involved in either major reforms of the totally corrupt Democratic Party or work for a much better one like the Green Party.  Otherwise, you're setting yourself up for a major disappointment.
  6. mwildfire Posted 12:10 pm
    17 Jun 2008

    Wolverine is rightObama's speeches to AIPAC and the Miami Cuban community make it pretty clear that Obama is not a progressive in any meaningful sense. We can go on rejoicing that "our" candidate has the "cred" of being allied with the military and the Chamber of Commerce, etc, but why not just stick with the Republicans? Since when is endless war for oil and imperialism, and feeding the biggest corporations at the expense of the public interest and even human survival "the center"?

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