Democrats versus Republicans

[chucklesR]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

That's OK...most Americans think Portugal is in south america!

It's not? I need to change my tickets.

[sailaway21]

Mr. George Will explains why the drilling off the coast of Florida is being done by Chinese and Cuban interests. He also explains why this is your fault. And my fault.
RealClearPolitics - Articles - The Gas Prices We Deserve

And while I'm at it. There's a whole bunch of oil under Lake Michigan also. Michigan won't allow onshore angle drilling out under the lake for environmental concerns. This is the same state that has no problem with a million boaters within the state operating their leaky outboard motors on those same waters and encourages as many out of state residents as possible to vacation and contribute to the same totally unmonitored pollution discharges. I've got some enviromnmental concerns as well. Along about November the environment get's decidedly cold around Michigan.

[camaraderie]

Nice to have you back "off topic" Sway!
Along the same lines...here's another interesting take on the Bakken field that is rather optimistic!
Westhawk: The Bakken oil formation and national security

[chucklesR]

Ya'll whiners about high oil prices.
Keep in mind the deregulation of the oil speculation market happened in December of 2000. I believe it was a Clinton that signed that in, and his buddy Nancy voted for it.
I could be wrong..I'm just saying....

[sailaway21]

Rich Lowry sums up the probable course of events from here on out. Regardless of outcome, the election cycle will likely revolve around Obama.
Rich Lowry on Barack Obama on National Review Online

[sailaway21]

Obama is certainly audacious but is he educated? Jeffrey Lord thinks old LBJ would have "issues" with him. Mr. Lord also makes a convincing case for conservatives making an effort to remember just what conservatism actually is. Unless conservatives, specifically of the John McCain, Rudy Guilianni, and Arlen Specter class, get their act together things are doomed to get worse before they can get better.

A scary prescient article by Mr. Lord.
The American Spectator

[sailaway21]

My one hundred dollar bet made last year continues to look good from here. I'll save you some time and searching by telling you that it was a wager that said the Republican would beat the Democrat in the presidential election of '08. How much more of this is Mr. Obama going to be able to take? He must have some reputable friends, advisers, or spiritual advisers.
Johnson Resigns from Obama's VP Search Team : NPR

[camaraderie]

I'm rooting for ya ta win that bet Sway...but Johnnie Mack ain't making many friends in the republican party. Look at the energy bill they TRIED to get out of committee...while their standard bearer says he won't drill in Anwar.

[sailaway21]

McCain is just out and out wrong on what he thinks he knows about energy policy. He says that he is against drilling in ANWR because he wants to keep it pristine, "like the Grand Canyon". This about an area in which the drilling will affect about 0.01 % of the 19 million acres of the area. An area where the highest number of visitors, as related by the Dept. of Interior, was 886 back in the 1990. That's the annual number of visitors.

Now I hear, via the authoritative source Ice Road Truckers, that Canada is drilling less than one hundred miles away from ANWR.

Next energy snafu by McCain is that he advocates letting offshore drilling be left up to the states. There's just one little problem with that. The states in question, primarily California and Florida, do not possess any rights over what are US territorial waters. Were it an issue of drilling in Tampa Bay or the Chesapeake the states would have standing. They do not have any standing regarding offshore drilling, it is a federal matter.

Any movement, rational movement that is, on energy is going to have to come out of the House of Representatives, from the Republican minority and those Democrats who didn't sleep through econ. 101.

I'll repeat, lest someone decide to do a drive-by on me later when Mc Cain get's elected, this is not my guy. The problem is; I don't have a guy in the race. Bob Barr and the libertarian party is just wacked on Middle East policy and, of course, lacks the ability to win which is a matter of no small interest to me when it comes to yielding my vote. And it will be "yielding".

[camaraderie]

Three things keep me in the McCain camp:
1. Supreme Court Justices
2. National security
3. He may pick a conservative VP and die in office!