Obama kicks off two-day energy tour

AP

President Obama on Wednesday kicks off a politically-charged two-day energy tour to three battleground states - Nevada, New Mexico and Ohio, with an additional stop in Cushing, Oklahoma, the site where a key portion of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline would begin.

The president will tout his administration's energy policies and highlight his efforts to reduce dependency on foreign oil. But the tour, and his message, comes amid deep political concern in the White House - that high gas prices may hurt the presidents re-election chances.

In advance of this trip, Republicans have already gone on offense, pinning gas prices to his policies.

"The president wants the American people to think his policies have nothing to do with rising gas prices, but his policies are making gas prices worse," said a statement released by House Speaker John Boehner's office.

Throughout the next two days, Mr. Obama is expected to fight back against that line of attack, aiming to better his chances on Election Day.

Today the president makes his first stop at the Copper Mountain Solar 1 Facility in Boulder City, Nev. -- the largest operating photovoltaic plant in the country -- housing nearly one million solar panels. Here, the President will reference his "all of the above energy strategy" and promote the use of wind and solar energy.

A day after the primary in his home state of Illinois, the rhetoric here is expected to be political in nature. The President will likely respond, if indirectly, to Mitt Romney's charge last night that Obama administration regulation stifles innovation.

"Under this President, pioneers would have faced an uphill battle to innovate, invent, and create. Under Dodd-Frank, they would have struggled to get a loan from their community bank. A regulator would have shut down the Wright Brothers for their 'dust pollution.' And the government would have banned Thomas Edison's light bulb. Oh, that's right. They just did," Romney said.

From Boulder City, Mr. Obama goes on to tour oil and gas production fields outside of Maljamar, New Mexico. At this site, he will focus on touting his administration's commitment to domestic oil and gas production - including drilling -- as he did last week in an energy speech in Largo, Md.

"We are drilling. Under my administration, America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years. Any time. That's a fact.

We've quadrupled the number of operating oil rigs to a record high. I want everybody to listen to that -- we have more oil rigs operating now than ever," he said.

On Thursday morning, the President travels to Cushing, OK for a political photo opportunity amongst pipes in TransCanada Pipe Yard - pipes that will be used to build the southern part of the Keystone XL pipeline. Here, he will likely attempt to counter Republican claims that he is not in favor of the Keystone Pipeline.

Both Republican presidential candidates and Republicans on the Hill are expected to hit the President for this stop. Boehner's office has already pointed out that this southern portion of the Keystone XL pipeline, that runs from Cushing to the Gulf Coast - does not need a presidential permit.

From Cushing, the president heads to Columbus, OH to deliver remarks at Ohio State University - one of the country's best schools for advanced energy-related research.

The president returns to Washington Thursday night.

[ALLCONEWS]

OBAMA RAILROADS THE AMERICAN VOTERS OVER OBAMACARE

Hi Greg has Obamacare given you an option to obtain coverage that is reasonable?

Do you know how much Obamacare will cost you or me or employer groups or what the terms of coverage will be?

Each state is left to establish whether that state will participate in the Obamacare Pools or if that state will offer an alternative plan and not be a part of Obamacare.

The premiums of Obamacare are so high anyone with preferred coverage now would not want to switch to Obamacare so only the un-insurables will go into that plan.

This will create adverse selection and will bankrupt Obamacare in a short amount of time. The premiums will have to be increased to pay for the adverse selection of the participants.

This is not a well thought out concept. This law was passed without evaluation by all of Congress because they did not give time to read & analyze the law before putting it up for a vote.

Any law this important should be well evaluated, before voting into actual law, by the voters FIRST for approval.
Congress or the President should have NEVER tried to RAILROAD OBAMACARE ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

I believe this law will not be constitutionally approved as written.

I believe a republican will win the presidency this Nov and will overturn what is left of Obamacare.
I believe Obamacare will kill Medicare and Medicaid programs that work well in those states where they are administered properly.
I believe the American Voters DEMAND and have THE RIGHT TO VOTE first on weather VOTERS want this law to be implemented; before Congress and the President RAILROADS OBAMACARE onto the American Voters without proper evaluation or approval.

If your income from unemployment drops then you should be able to qualify to be covered by Medicaid through social security, which should pay 100% but you have to fill out the papers to get on Medicaid.

This is not a democratic solution without the voters approval of the law before enforcing.

Obama is too sneeky to pass this Obamacare Law so quickly that no Congressmen had a chance to evaluate and debate this law; then why did the Democratic Controlled Congress allow it?

Voters do not and should not trust this sneaky OBAMACARE RAILROADED on the American Voters.

America needs an Assigned Risk Medical insurance Plan that allocates un-insurable coverage with preferred insurance groups including self insured, federal govt employee and military medical groups; to apportion coverage for un-insurable based solely on the number of enrollees, not based on dependents. Un-insurable Enrollees cannot have any choice of coverage this will be a comprehensive standard plan with PCS drugs at fair substandard rates insured by the assigned groups and not claim rated.

CRUISER4NEWS

OBAMA IS 100% responsible for this RAILROAD OF THE AMERICAN JUSTICE SYSTEM & THE AMERICAN VOTERS. HARRY REID & PELOSI were KEY ACCOMPLICES facilitating this OBAMACARE.

[bravetruth]

CBS news production meeting: 'They're not buying it anymore. I think it's the Internet or something. Have you seen the comments? Can't we get rid of that somehow and just go back to how it used to be?"

[sooner_schooner]

Energy tour? Good grief, where's my laugh emoticon. This is nothing more than a campaign tour for a president drowning in low approval numbers.

[wfw3536]

Just another campaign tour on the taxpayer dime. Maybe the press should report on the 3 plus billion Obama has lost on failed green energy companies like Solindra. And then we have Obama's Sec of Energy Chu saying he should be graded an "A" for his work on energy and gas prices. How totally out of touch.

[bcole88881]

Read in a Canadian newspaper that Boeing was taking algae biofuels to China because "the US government was moving to slow". Does that mean instead of buying our oil from the Arabs the US will soon be buying our oil from the Chinese?

[Vet_Turner]

I see the neocon Condi Rice is trying to make the news again about attacking Iran. She the one talking about the big mushroom cloud and getting the stupid to believe that Iraq was going to attack the United States.
She should be in jail with the rest of the neocons who endorsed and sold the Iraq war. Congress, they gave the authority, yes, but that was to give Bush leverage. Who knew that Bush could be suckered in by Cheney and Condi so easily.

[dogfinnel]

Why don't you people tell the truth. It is another round of campaigning at the tax payers expense. It has nothing to do with energy or anything else except Obama getting re-elected.

[Vet_Turner]

Obama pays for the use of Air Force One and movement of vehicles when it is for campaigning. You can check the FEC website on that. Say, "Oh" http://fec.gov/

[Heathergreeneyes]

Can we get a wider view of Air Force One, so we can see the solar panels it uses to power those jet engines.

How much jet fuel is Obama burning up, to tell us all about the evils of fossil fuel?

Or does Air Force One run on algae?

[liberty619]

who is this guy fooling?