<p>C’mon now. Changing his position for political expediency? I think John McCain wrote the book on that one. John McCain sometimes pretends to oppose his own legislation, the stuff he actually wrote and sponsored, for goodness sake. The only thing John McCain really believes is how great he is.</p>
<p>Getting things passed in Congress usually requires compromise. I think you’re just upset that Obama is being the elder statesmen here and trying to forge a compromise, and McCain is just left shilling for the oil industry.</p>
<p>When McCain realized that gas price was at $4 a gallon, and average taxpayers were having a hard time making ends meet, he decided that we should the increase supply to bring prices down to help these people. Also, truckers and airlines were going bankrupt; this high gas price was having a real effect in the economy. </p>
<p>Obama was even bashing the idea this afternoon while he was proposing to give everyone a $1000. What made him change his mind in a span of a couple of hours? He did it for political expediency; he realized that the issue was polling well, so he decided to abandon the position that he had in the morning. </p>
<p>Politicians are allowed to change their minds, but they should be honest about it, they shouldn’t insult our intelligence by giving us a baloney explanation. This is similar to his explanation for not accepting public financing; his explanation was such baloney. </p>
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<p>If Obama truly believes that offshore drilling is a terrible idea, why did he change his mind? He changed his mind because the polls said it was a hot issue. I am beginning to wonder whether Obama has any true convictions. At this stage, he is willing to say and do anything to win the presidency. </p>
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<p>Can you give me any good reason why he shouldn’t be running?</p>
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<p>Jack, how many voters know the policies of McCain and Obama? Don’t believe the “polls”, any decent statistician wont touch these “polls” conducted by the media. </p>
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<p>I think cheating on your better half is very terrible, but I also think that it is between him and his god, and I am not going to pass judgment.</p>
<p>Hmm, why should I be upset? Obama has never been an elder statesman in anything since he got to the senate, his voting record is 100% Democratic Party. Was he part of the gang of 14?</p>
<p>Those things are happening right now. Everyone knows that drilling won’t have any sort of impact until 10 years from now.</p>
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<p>Do you not consider Obama to be a politician? Why can’t he change his mind?
Also, what do you mean by “baloney explanation?” Before you call them “baloney explanations” maybe you should do some “mental gynamstics” so that you can understand that there is merit in his changing his position.</p>
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<p>Did you even read what he said? It’s structured and conditioned exactly the way McCain’s stance on no new taxes is.</p>
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<p>Because he has no new ideas. It shouldn’t be him running; it should be Romney or Giuliani. He doesn’t have better character; he doesn’t have as much relevant experience; he isn’t as smart.</p>
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<p>Cute try.</p>
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<p>Republicans didn’t seem to think so back in the 1990s.</p>
<p>Look - what’s the big deal here? Both politicians have decided to pander. One does it knowing that it doesn’t make a darn bit of difference. The other one - well, we just don’t know what he thinks. I’m sure he knows there won’t be any gas as a result in 7 to 10 years. But past that? </p>
<p>The reality is that offshore drilling isn’t a terrible idea; it just isn’t a very good one if the purpose is to bring down the price of gas a month from now.</p>
<p>Drilling will have an impact on the futures market. I explained in the other thread. Expected future supply can have an impact on the futures price today. </p>
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<p>Obama is your typical dishonest politician trying to hoodwink the electorate to get to the White House, he is not the first one, and he wont be the last one. </p>
<p>I dont have to waste any time doing mental gymnastics on his explanation, it was just baloney. I think only he and his supporters believed that baloney explanation he gave. I know why he changed his mind, and I think he should have given the correct explanation. </p>
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<p>I read what he said, and as usual, he is moving towards McCains plan. </p>
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<p>Can you name any new ideas that Obama is proposing?</p>
<p>The size of the impact will be dependent on how much oil they discover. According to all estimates right now, expanding offshore drilling will decrease the price of oil by 5 cents–and that’s in ten years from now. From that you can infer that they don’t really think there is a whole lot of oil down there; thus, it won’t significantly affect the futures market.</p>
<p>This whole offshore drilling thing is a ploy. The oil companies know they are in a dying industry and want to make sure they get all the money they can before moving on to the alternative energy industry.</p>
<p>As for the rest of your post, let’s both agree to quit whining about the other candidate, okay?</p>
<p>Obama is commenting on a specific, legislative compromise that is being hammered out in Congress. He’s saying that he supports that bill. </p>
<p>Obama is not shifting positions, but he is doing exactly what he has been saying he wants to do all along: aiming for a bipartisan, inclusive approach which means that you don’t take all-or-nothing positions, but try to work things out. So he is able to see that there’s a difference, for example, between concerns over offshore drilling on the gulf coast and concerns on the pacific coast. </p>
<p>He wants to get away from the divisive politics of the past and work towards building consensus. He wants to do that because politically he is a moderate, not the extreme liberal the GOP wants to paint him as. His talent is the ability to keep a level head, see and understand multiple sides of an issue, and work toward merging common goals.</p>
<p>Yes, he’s willing to compromise. He always has been. Anyone who had studied the man’s background would understand this. In his heart he is probably as liberal as they come. But he’s a man who is clearly ruled by his brain – and he is a realist and a pragmatist.</p>
<p>This is not a weakness; it is his strength. It means that instead of 4 years of gridlock, with an Obama presidency we will get a congress passing good legislation and a president signing it. Some of the laws will be seen as progressive and some will probably frustrate the left because they will be seen as too conservative – kind of like the Clinton administration after the 1994 midterms. </p>
<p>I would think that independents and moderate republicans would be happy to see this in Obama. His Presidency will probably end up infuriating some on the left – because he is NOT going to stand his ground on issues he perceives as trivial against the weight of whatever he thinks is more important.</p>
<p>You need to start reading bloomberg, it is about futures.</p>
<p>SD has just passed laws to do horizontal drilling and building a new refinery. The first in 30+ yrs which is also a problem.</p>
<pre><code>We should allow Russia and China to drill 35 miles off the coast of Florida before we do? Let’s be real…China…look at the reports of how the Olympics are in a shambles because of smog/pollution. Sorry I would rather have America drilling 35 miles of shore.
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<p>Have you lived in Alaska? I have! They are very concerned about the eco-system, yet they agree ANWAR is a smart decision with minimal ecological damage if something bad would ever happen.</p>
<p>Get real! If you own a 401K/ mutual funds I can bet my A** that you own stock in EXXON/BP/SHELL/HESS etc… you kill those companies you will kill the stock market, and in return you kill your pension!</p>
<p>If you aren’t investing in a 401K/529/Mutual than go at it!</p>
<p>Calmom, I don’t normally agree with you on much, but there is something in your post 29 that I do agree with and that is that it just may be the far left liberals who are the most disappointed by an Obama presidency. People should go back and reread his first book. There is so much cynicism and contempt for the various people in his life in that book. His mother, Gramps, Frank, ultimately his father. Lolo he respected and learned a lot from. Like the necessity of acquiring as much power as you can get your hands on and how to do it. Regina had it right when she told Obama “it’s all about you”. Read all the big exposes on his political career, from the NYT, Chicago Tribune, New Yorker, New Republic. This guy is the most cold, cunning, calculating and ruthless politician we’ve seen in a very long time. I am not sure where he, in his heart, stands on anything. There may have been a time when he stood for something, but I am not sure even he remembers what it was or when it happened.</p>
<p>You mean like the suspension of the federal gas tax that he proposed to put $30 dollars in consumers pockets? Wonder why 231 economists signed a letter stating it was completely idiotic?</p>
<p>Exactly. The current price of oil includes what some economists call a “scarcity rent”. In other words, the current price relects the expectation that future supply is diminishing at a rapid rate. Merely announcing that we are going to drill reduces that scarcity rent and reduces todays price of oil even though not a drop of new oil had been added to the supply. President Bush broke the back of the recent run up in oil merely by eliminating his executive order prohibiting drilling. If Commandant Pelosi would try to save the country instead of the planet and let congress authorize more drilling the price of oil would drop immediately and materially.</p>
Cost to build a deep water rig is and will be in the hundreds of millions.
Cost to drill exploratory wells will not be cheap, even assuming rigs are available.
Lead time to reserve a rig is long. And the reservation fee high.
Will Oil Exploration companies risk billions of $ on unknowns vs exploration in less hostile and less expensive leases.
Will Oil Companies risk the billions to these exploration companies when other alternatives are perhaps more promising: Couple of billion $$ to universities for alternative energy programs (oil company get part of the patent) could be much cheaper and politically wiser choice.
I think Obama and McCain already or will soon know that offshore drilling may never happen in their administration even if leases are done today.</p>
<p>Should we allow China and Russia to drill 35 miles off the Florida coast?</p>
<p>They are in negotiation right now…so they will pump out the oil to fuel their country 35 miles off our country and we have no control to make sure that they are doing it properly.</p>
<p>I could give 2 rats a**es about the cost, if Russia and China starting drilling of Florida and we don’t I will be 1 angry American!</p>
<p>Again what I find comical is the majority of Floridians are okay with this, AK residents want ANWAR, SD resident want to drill, but every other American gets to say no! I live in NC… I don’t want someone from the west coast deciding on how we deal with beach erosion…they aren’t paying my taxes!</p>