Dems Feeling Unintended Consequences of Foreign Oil Rhetoric [View All]

-- Scott Paul
...Unfortunately, the folks promoting smart energy policy have exacerbated the problem by continuing to promise an end to U.S. dependence on foreign oil. Speaker Pelosi has led the charge here. Sen. Obama, among others, has gone along too (and it's in the final Democratic Party platform). Not even the most enlightened officials on energy -- I'd include Sens. Lugar and Biden and Gov. Richardson in this group -- have not resisted the temptation of "foreign oil dependence" rhetoric when they speak publicly, their sound policies notwithstanding.

At the end of the day, it's Obama who is paying for this. While it makes little sense policy-wise, Sen. McCain's "all hands" approach, which includes drilling offshore and in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, is the more direct and intuitive response to the challenge of weaning ourselves off foreign oil. Obama and my allies in the climate movement typically respond that we can't drill our way to energy independence. While it's a nice soundbite and a sound foundation for policy, I'm afraid it will fall on deaf ears with a public that has been told year after year that anything we can do to weaken the influence of those bad oil producers is a step in the right direction.

I should mention, by the way, that there actually is polling to support this -- this isn't just my guesswork. I saw the polls while I was abroad but didn't save the link, so you'll have to take my word for it. Sorry, readers!

In the end, energy will probably be a split decision this year from a political perspective. McCain will win points for his "use every tool" approach and his longstanding commitment to action on climate change, but his party affiliation will tie him to seven years of bad policy, rising gas prices and coziness with industry. If there were any justice, he would also take a hit for his flip-flop on the Law of the Sea Convention, but that's clearly not going to register.

It's probably too late to reframe this debate for the '08 election, but we should hope that we hear more about the importance of breaking our addiction to oil and gas altogether and less about the threat of those nasty foreign oil producers in the future.
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/2008/08/dems_feeling_un/