Candidates have not caught up with energy voters

Washington Times:

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain proposed lifting the federal ban on more offshore oil drilling Monday, but a new poll shows most voters want the government to go further by sinking oil wells in nationally protected wildlife areas.

The Fox 5/The Washington Times/Rasmussen Reports survey found that 53 percent of voters think the United States should start drilling for oil in nature preserves such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to reduce dependence on foreign crude.

About a third of Americans opposed the idea and 14 percent said they are not sure, according to the telephone survey conducted last week.

The campaigns acknowledge that high gas prices have become the dominant issue of the presidential race, with motorists paying an average of more than $4 per gallon, but neither the likely Democratic nor Republican presidential nominee agrees with drilling in wildlife preserves.

In a preview of a speech to be delivered Tuesday, Mr. McCain called for more oil exploration in the U.S. but said he does not want to go as far as drilling in off-limits federal lands. The speech will mark the start of a weeklong effort to draw distinctions on energy policy between the senator from Arizona and his Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.

Asked about his newfound embrace of some new drilling, Mr. McCain said he maintains that there should be limits, including federal lands now off-limits. "I believe ANWR is a pristine area," he said.

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He is still touting the pristine nonsense about ANWR. This is idiocy on stilts. ANWR will never be as beautiful as Texas where we drill all the time. McCain is throwing away potential voters by not agreeing to drill there. His position on offshore drilling is somewhat better, but he would still give states like Florida a veto which is ridiculous.

Florida cannot veto Cuba and China drilling within 60 miles of its shore but it can stop Americans from doing so. What sense does that make? McCain is blowing a real opportunity to exploit an important issue that the Democrats are on the wrong side on and he is over there with them. Republican congressional candidates should be pushing this issue to defeat Democrats.