WASHINGTON, August 1, 2008
Obama Shifts On Offshore Drilling
Candidate Says He'd Support Limited Drilling If It Would Help Promote Alternative Energy
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Racial Issues And Campaign '08
Issues of race have taken center stage in the presidential election, as Barack Obama faced protestors who claim that the candidate has not been attentive to black concerns. Dean Reynolds reports.
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McCain Camp Gets Aggressive
John McCain's campaign is turning up the heat by questioning Barack Obama's leadership and likening him to pop stars. Obama's response: "Is that the best you can come up with?" Dean Reynolds reports.
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Campaign Ads Get Nasty
CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer speaks with Katie Couric about a recent John McCain campaign advertisement which compared Barack Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.
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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. answers an audience member's question, Aug. 1, 2008, during a town hall meeting in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson)
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Photo Essay
Barack Obama
A look at the life and meteoric rise of the president-elect.
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Photo Essay
John McCain
Some call him a hero, some a maverick. Will Americans call him Mr. President?
The presumptive Republican nominee, meanwhile, defended an Internet advertisement mocking the Democratic presidential candidate as a presumptuous messianic figure, saying it was important to "display a sense of humor" in the presidential contest.
The rapid fire developments Friday capped a week of campaigning in which the two White House hopefuls sharpened their attacks on each other, escalating the rhetoric and prompting each campaign to accuse the other of injecting race into the presidential debate.
Obama, who has campaigned on a platform of change, previously ridiculed a push by Republicans to open offshore areas to oil exploration in a bid to bring down surging energy prices. The country's economic woes have largely eclipsed other issues in the presidential race.
The first term Illinois senator, in comments echoed by other critics of the proposal, had argued that any new oil found would take years to come onto the market and that conservation and fuel-efficient vehicles were a quicker solution to soaring costs.
But Obama told a Florida newspaper in an interview that he could support a compromise with Republicans and oil companies to prevent gridlock over energy.
"My interest is in making sure we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," Obama said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post.
"If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage - I don't want to be so rigid that we can't get something done."
McCain, who has repeatedly accused Obama of vacillating on the issues, reiterated that his opponent doesn't have a plan equal to the country's energy challenges.
"We need oil drilling and we need it now offshore. He has consistently opposed it. He has opposed nuclear power. He has opposed reprocessing. He has opposed storage," McCain said.
Later, Obama welcomed a compromise proposal sent to Senate leaders Friday by 10 senators - five from each party - that seeks to break the impasse over offshore oil development and is expected to be examined more closely in September after Congress returns from its summer recess.
Earlier in the day, Obama pushed for a windfall profits tax to fund $1,000 emergency rebate checks for consumers besieged by high energy costs, a counter to McCain's call for more offshore drilling.
McCain had been criticizing Obama for continuing to oppose the plan as retail gasoline prices hit record levels in the U.S. Polls indicate these attacks have helped McCain gain ground on Obama.
Energy prices have become the catalyst in a presidential election where the economy has emerged as the top priority for American voters.
Both candidates have tried to cast themselves as having the answers.
While Obama paints McCain as little more than an extension of President George W. Bush's unpopular presidency, the veteran Arizona senator maintained that his rival was an inexperienced elitist who would much rather sound the trumpet of change than actually enact any reforms.
McCain's new ad appearing on the Web, marked the Republican's latest attempt at ridiculing his opponent, whose ability to draw crowds by the tens and hundreds of thousands has been unmatched by McCain.
In the ad, a voiceover calls Obama "The One." It features clips of Obama appearing to describe himself and his presidential quest in grandiose terms and ends with Charlton Heston as Moses parting the Red Sea in the movie, "The Ten Commandments."
The ad was McCain's latest attempt to caricature his rival as an empty media phenomenon, coming on the heels of the campaign's new television ad juxtaposing Obama with lightweight celebrities Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.
Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan slammed the Web ad, which he likened to "juvenile actions."
McCain brushed off complaints from critics and some supporters that his tone had become too negative.
"We think it's got a lot of humor in it, we're having fun and enjoying it ... we'll continue to fight and scrap all the way to November 4," he said, referring to the date of the presidential election.
McCain also reiterated his contention that Obama, who would be America's first black president, had injected race into the campaign, a day after McCain's campaign manager accused the Illinois senator of "playing the race card" by suggesting Republicans were trying to scare voters away from voting for him because he "doesn't look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills."
"I didn't bring up the issue. Senator Obama did," McCain insisted.
Addressing an influential black organization in Orlando, Florida, McCain said Friday that Obama appeared to be more willing to wax poetic about change than actually embrace it.
McCain, in a speech to the National Urban League, which Obama will address Saturday, criticized his rival for choosing private over public schools for his children. McCain, too, sent his children to private schools. But he argues that unlike Obama, he favors vouchers that give parents more school choices.
McCain's criticism of Obama to the group echoed the Republican theme that Obama's words do not always match his actions or his thin resume.
"If there's one thing he always delivers it's a great speech," McCain said. "But I hope you'll listen carefully, because his ideas are not always as impressive as his rhetoric."
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 944 CommentsWhat CHANGE!
Posted by retiredusaf3 at 11:36 PM
We need an Administration that will propose bold, new initiatives to deal with the multiple problems that were not addressed by the Bush Administration (after EIGHT years in office) ... change to a better health care system (we are 32nd in the world, at this point in time!!!), a progressive energy policy, better attention to national defense and military, educational reforms, infrastructure all across America, social security, national debt ... I could go on and on. We need real change to address real problems. Not more the McSame.
Obama knows that it won''t affect the price of oil but he''s willing to let you whining Republicans prove him right.
In the meantime he successfully takes this issue off the table with the commitment of the "hard right" to invest in alternative.
It''s a brilliant strategy and it will work.
He knows that every Republican idea has failed so far but they always insists on another idiotic idea. But that''s ok, sometimes you have do more then diagnose retardeness, you have to prove to a *** that he''s a ***.
I have no problem with oil as an energy source. But no one puts all their eggs in one basket (unless they''re an idiot). This country needs to pay more than lip service to alternatives: NOW!!! They have the capability to drive our energy needs free of charge into the future. We just need to shuck off our Exxon-induced oil addiction to see it.
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Posted by emelder
Let one of those rich Eurotrash liberals get sick and then see if we rank 32nd in health care, there *** will be on the first flight to old number 32 in the world.
Some of you people are simply amazing. We just lived through 8 years of the worst, most corrupt and hated adminstration ever, years of an unjust war and no telling what else was done. After listening to what McCain has to offer...I can not fathom why anyone would want to vote for him and have a repeat of the same old tired policies all over again...but then again..an angry old, no issue white man is better than a much more dynamic leader. AMAZING!
Posted by vegassoul at 06:59 PM : Aug 01, 2008,,,
Americans are once again showing just how stupid, gullible and ignorant they are! The GOP who for all the reasons you cited above can`t run on any real issues, dress Sen. Obama and his wife up as Muslim Terrorist and put them on the cover of a major magazine, in addition, anyone Sen. Obama associates with who has done or said anything controversial will now be treated as if Sen. Obama himself said or did it, not the actual person! When all else fails hate and mud slinging works like a charm! Voters need to know the difference between a genuine flip-flopper and someone who is being flexible and adjusting to new information. I saw Sen. Obama on the News explain his change of position for offshore drilling in the context that `if it will support his overall energy strategy`. I don`t consider this a flip-flop, Sen. Obama is being flexible and not getting boxed in, in fact I heard him say `if`, so his support is conditional which means he has to get what he wants!
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Posted by MCVet- at 11:11 PM : Aug 01, 2008
The "Messiah" apologize?
:)~
posted by tbweb
-Just goes to show how much research you don''t do. The GOP wasn''t responsible for the magazine!
That was a LIBERAL PUBLICATION, the NEWYORKER!!
lol! Wow you guys are amazing how you fail to do any proper honest research on anything.
And stay out of America if you don''t like it, foreigner! Get your propaganda outta here and go worship your messiah obama somewhere else.
Obama is really scary. He has no real positions. He changes almost daily now, no offshore, now ok, blow up your tires. What an energy program.
obama is a socialist and almost close to communism.
posted by tbweb
-Just goes to show how much research you don''''t do. The GOP wasn''''t responsible for the magazine!
That was a LIBERAL PUBLICATION, the NEWYORKER!!
lol! Wow you guys are amazing how you fail to do any proper honest research on anything.
And stay out of America if you don''''t like it, foreigner! Get your propaganda outta here and go worship your messiah obama somewhere else.
Posted by BeBoldin09 at 12:06 AM : Aug 02, 2008,,,
Cute, I know this, but you miss the point! GOP supporters who want the U.S. to bomb Iran and think Obama won`t are said to have inspired this! Do your research, dig deeper, stop living on the surface gullible one!
Obama is really scary. He has no real positions. He changes almost daily now, no offshore, now ok, blow up your tires. What an energy program.
obama is a socialist and almost close to communism.
Posted by Platteman at 12:13 AM : Aug 02, 2008,,,
So it`s alright to buy slave labor products as long as we benefit and save money? We need to think beyond ourselves and sometimes it involves sacrifice and a little inconvenience. It`s all about balance, not extremes in any direction.
No matter what you say, Obama is still the "One".
John McCain can talk trash all he wants but America knows that he can''t run on the issues because we tried them all under Republican rule for 8 years and look what we have...2 Wars that have failed and the worse economy since the Great Depression.
McCain ''08
Hillary 2012
I am who am..."
- Posted by MCvent at 12:21 AM : Aug 02, 2008
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Barack Obama is going to be the next President.
Get over it.
We''d had mediocrities long enough.
I am who am..."
- Posted by MCvent at 12:21 AM : Aug 02, 2008
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Barack Obama is going to be the next President.
Get over it.
We''''d had mediocrities long enough.
They''ve already sold it out to the Chinese via Wal-Mart.
We no longer have enough fundamental industry in the USA to defend ourselves thanks to "Free trade", and stores and foreign interests such as Wal-Mart.
The message should be if it''s good for Wal-Mart it is bad for the USA. Wal-Mart is attempting a political blitz against the Democrats and their own customers and employees.
I am who am..."
- Posted by MCvent at 12:21 AM : Aug 02, 2008
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Barack Obama is going to be the next President.
Get over it.
We''ve had mediocrities long enough.
What''s up with that ?
They''''ve already sold it out to the Chinese via Wal-Mart.
We no longer have enough fundamental industry in the USA to defend ourselves thanks to "Free trade", and stores and foreign interests such as Wal-Mart.
The message should be if it''''s good for Wal-Mart it is bad for the USA. Wal-Mart is attempting a political blitz against the Democrats and their own customers and employees.
Posted by cbsblogger at 12:30 AM : Aug 02, 2008,,,
What you are saying is something I discovered in my Global Economics course in college. National Flags and Nations as we knew them are gone for the most part and dissolved with the Global Economy! Citizens of nations are still loyal and patriotic to their national flags while their governments have sold citizens down the river for participation in Global Economics! The governments themselves supports a `one world view` when it come to profits and economics while average citizens still operate like everything is the same, it`s not, the game has changed, it`s dog-eat-dog, everyone for themselves!
N I G G E R
Posted by WarDogLRS at 12:43 AM : Aug 02, 2008,,,
The U.S. actually needs a FISA or `FISA like` program, it`s the abuse factors everyone was worried about and initially before the proper monitoring and controls were in place, Republicans took advantage of the nations trust and abused the program. For example, just because someone works for the IRS doesn`t mean they can look at anyones Taxes when they want, or just because someone works in the Passport office doesn`t mean they can look at anyones Passport details, privacy still matters. The point is these type programs and needed and fine as long as the proper controls are in place.
N I G G E R
Posted by WarDogLRS at 12:46 AM : Aug 02, 2008,,,
Your Post mean nothing, you`re just another hate monger racist.
That is why you''re going to lose.
America (especially the younger generation) has had more than enough of the ugly racism of the past.
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