From McCain's prepared text we see the Arizona senator easily tops Palin's lies:
My fellow Americans, when I'm president, we're going to embark on the most ambitious national project in decades. We are going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us very much.
Lie No. 1: McCain has no plan to reduce oil imports -- indeed, throughout his career he has explicitly rejected every plan that might reduce oil imports substantially, including fuel economy standards, biofuels, and renewables. Heck, he even rejected the plan offered by billionaire conservative oilman T. Boone Pickens to aggressively deploy clean energy and alternative fuels over the next 10 years.
We will attack the problem on every front.
Lie No. 2: This is, of course, the GOP's Big Energy Lie, widely debunked.
We will produce more energy at home. We will drill new wells offshore, and we'll drill them now.
Lie No. 3: No, we won't drill them now. We might drill these new wells in 10 years, as the U.S. Energy Information Administration expert on offshore drilling explained to me.
We will build more nuclear power plants. We will develop clean coal technology. We will increase the use of wind, tide, solar and natural gas.
Lie No. 4: McCain has fought against wind and solar and alternative energy for his entire career because he genuinely, but mistakenly, believes, "The truly clean technologies don't work."
We will encourage the development and use of flex fuel, hybrid and electric automobiles.
Semi-lie: I'm gonna give this to him on a technicality. While he has traditionally opposed government programs to push fuel-efficient vehicles and alternative fuels into the marketplace (the only possible strategy that could lead to energy independence), he has announced a pointless gimmick that makes the statement technically true.
Senator Obama thinks we can achieve energy independence without more drilling and without more nuclear power.
Lie No. 5: Senator Obama has made quite clear that he supports nuclear power and is open to an "all-of-the-above" compromise that includes drilling.
But Americans know better than that.
Lie No. 6: Let's all hope Americans don't buy McCain's lies.
We must use all resources and develop all technologies necessary to rescue our economy from the damage caused by rising oil prices and to restore the health of our planet.
Lie No. 7: This is a repetition of the Big Energy Lie. But by nature the big lie only works if you repeat it, so I'm counting it. The only energy resources McCain has ever pushed are drilling and nuclear.
It's an ambitious plan, but Americans are ambitious by nature, and we have faced greater challenges.
Lie No. 8: There is nothing ambitious about McCain's plan. It doesn't even include strategies to promote the most important energy source, energy efficiency -- a source McCain doesn't even pay lip service to in his big speeches, a source he actually mocks.
Earlier in the speech, McCain said of Palin:
She's tackled tough problems like energy independence and corruption.
Lie No. 9: Palin has done nothing to help achieve energy independence because there is nothing the State of Alaska can do. As Pickens and EIA and every independent expert keeps telling us, this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of.
McCain also said:
We lost their trust when instead of freeing ourselves from a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, both parties and Senator Obama passed another corporate welfare bill for oil companies.
Lie No. 10: The 2005 Energy Bill was certainly imperfect, but it contained more clean energy and energy efficiency incentives than any bill in more than a decade, so of course McCain opposed it. Ironically, it also contained more nuclear energy incentives than any bill in more than a decade -- and yet McCain opposed it and keeps claiming that those who voted for that bill don't support nuclear power. Now that is chutzpah.
Can you beat a liar if the media don't call him or her out? It is very, very tough, but it can be done. I'm gonna remain cautiously optimistic.
This post was created for ClimateProgress.org, a project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
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Comments
View as Flat
starsky Posted 9:55 am
05 Sep 2008
Off with the gloves already
jeepers. Your "critique" drips of partisanship and makes for very little helpful conversation. Your post makes no point other than a portrayal of your preconceived political opinions. As an independent it is interesting to watch both sides of the aisle try to stake a claim in addressing climate change.
I read a recent study that you would find interesting about who has a more green lifestyle - republicans or democrats.
http://sattlerclothing.com/blog/2008/06/05/republican-or- ...
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katakanadian Posted 11:10 am
05 Sep 2008
Hmmm
I don't know the numbers but I doubt importation of 'unfriendly' oil has dropped off at all in the last five years despite a tremendous increase in the amount of tar sands oil floating south from Alberta. Drilling more American oil will probably just result in more consumption rather than decreasing imports.
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bigTom Posted 5:30 am
06 Sep 2008
campaigns are fought on mental landscape.
It is very unfortunate, that campaigns will seek to exploit popularly held misconceptions, rather than trying to correct them, and propose plans that more closely reflect reality. IMO the Republicans are considerably more prone to this, than the Democrats, but both sides of political necessity bow to this rule.
That being said, sometimes it is just exaggeration of the differences. For instance for Nuclear, it is true that Obama, doesn't rule it out, but he would clearly be less aggressive in its pursuit than McCain. But most distressing are plans that rely on (and abet) totally incorrect understandings -like the US has more oil than Saudi Arabia.
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Pangolin Posted 1:21 pm
06 Sep 2008
What?
You didn't expect him to tell the american people that they were going to have to slow down and drive smaller cars did you? Perhaps you were thinking that he should promote a transition from airline to rail travel?
Get real.
The Republican Party and John McCain have been making hay by dumping on Jimmy Carter's energy plan for twenty-seven years and if they adopted it now we could make them look like the fools they are.
So they have to poison the well by proposing a bunch of programs that sound like they might work but simply won't. Since the media's bias is absolutely in their favor (hello car ads) the average citizen won't hear a word of contradiction.
Put the Carbon Back
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WWAGD?! Posted 7:25 pm
06 Sep 2008
Romm O Matic Lie Maker
http://www.johnmccain.com/informing/News/Speeches/d0964a7 ...
John McCain's Remarks to the Center for Hydrogen Research
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Pangolin Posted 7:57 pm
06 Sep 2008
"sources of power like hydrogen"
Just a little scientific illiteracy while you watch reruns of "Beat the Dead Horse" eh jabailo?
Explain please how a former Naval aviator could make such a basic error in science? Hydrogen has never been and will never be a source of power short of cost-effective fusion.
It's just about the most expensive way to store power but that's another thread.
Put the Carbon Back
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Bob Wallace Posted 2:14 am
07 Sep 2008
Perhaps...
Perhaps it's time to talk openly about the fact that the Republican candidate isn't especially bright.
This is a guy who did poorly in high school. He had to attend a prep school before they would let him in the Academy.
(They had to lower the prep school minimum 1.5 average to a 1.3 in order from him to "graduate" and get in the Academy.)
He finished the Academy at the bottom of his class. And I have to wonder how many of his instructors "gifted" him with a 'D' rather than flunking out the son of an admiral.
As far as I can tell McCain has shown no intellectual talent in the ensuing years.
Remind anyone of the current president?
Why do Republicans value stupidity?
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starsky Posted 2:28 am
08 Sep 2008
Interesting...
Bob,
Stupidity? From an independent, I find it ironic that the compassionate, "party of the people" that is supposedly for mainstream America rather than the "Republican Elite" is so critical of what a guy did 50+ YEARS AGO when he was in HIGH SCHOOL?
Abortion is fine,
smoking weed is fine,
cheating on your wife is fine,
but struggling in high school - now that is where we draw the line. Because high school is the real proving ground for success as a President.
PS - Put the Carbon Back - Hydrogen fuel cell cars are already on the road. You might google hydrogen fuel cell to find Boeing, BMW, Ford, GM and many others using hydrogen for a myriad of purposes.
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Bob Wallace Posted 3:09 am
08 Sep 2008
Starsky...
Did you read my first two paragraphs and then jump to the "Post a Comment" part of the page?
It would appear so.
Now please go back and finish reading what I posted.
If you don't agree then please post some examples of where McCain has demonstrated his intelligence to be higher than what his academic career would tell us.
--
BTW, the way McCain dumped his first wife for the young heiress is not OK with me.
But I won't hold the fact that he didn't smoke some weed against him. We all have made a few mistakes in our lives.
--
And hydrogen for our transportation solution?
About as likely as fairy dust....
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MAD MAC Posted 3:25 am
08 Sep 2008
Does Romm want McCain to win?
Do you want him to win the election? Keep attacking him. Keep calling him names. Who is the guy? A moron? Maybe Romm works in the McCain camp.
First of all, past history is not a predictor on future action.
Secondly, McCain is a genuine war hero. Calling him names is just going to piss people off and push them to him.
Thirdly, A lot of people identify with McCain and Palin on values issues. Attack his values, you are attacking them. What you say won't matter, you will lose at the polls.
The smart thing to do is aggressively explain why Obama is the man. The dumb thing to do is try to explain why McCain is not.
Victory in Pattani
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MAD MAC Posted 3:26 am
08 Sep 2008
Does Romm want McCain to win?
Do you want him to win the election? Keep attacking him. Keep calling him names. Who is the guy? A moron? Maybe Romm works in the McCain camp.
First of all, past history is not a predictor on future action.
Secondly, McCain is a genuine war hero. Calling him names is just going to piss people off and push them to him.
Thirdly, A lot of people identify with McCain and Palin on values issues. Attack his values, you are attacking them. What you say won't matter, you will lose at the polls.
The smart thing to do is aggressively explain why Obama is the man. The dumb thing to do is try to explain why McCain is not.
Victory in Pattani
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aieageoff Posted 4:40 am
08 Sep 2008
Balance
Hi Joe,
Good article. Well researched. One-sided.
How about a similar (and non-partisan) review of Obama-Biden's energy policies?
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