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Republicans See Oil Drilling As Plus For McCain Campaign

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The Washington Post

Published: July 27, 2008

WASHINGTON - Four dollar-a-gallon gasoline has done something few Republicans thought possible a few months ago: given them hope. United behind a renewed push for offshore oil drilling, Republican members of Congress and the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, think they have found their best political issue of the 2008 campaign.

McCain strategists and GOP leaders on Capitol Hill said the issue lets Republicans demonstrate their plans to address the anger caused by high gas prices as well as the broader economic distress that many voters feel.

Because most Democrats, including Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, are opposed to increased drilling, McCain and the GOP have begun casting their rivals as unconcerned about gas prices and unwilling to wean the country from foreign oil.

But the risks for Republicans became clear last week when a McCain visit to an offshore oil rig was quickly scuttled in the face of Hurricane Dolly and a massive oil tanker spill in the Mississippi River in New Orleans.

McCain's support for offshore drilling also threatens to unite environmentalists against him, after he spent months portraying himself as a friend of the environment by endorsing the basic tenets of those who want to wage war on global warming.

"Apparently, hundreds of thousands of gallons of spilled oil, dead fish and oil-covered birds aren't ideal conditions for peddling a misguided plan for more offshore drilling," said Cathy Duvall, the Sierra Club's national political director.

Republicans also sought to gain traction on the issue by portraying Obama and Democrats as the "do nothing" party when it comes to solving the nation's energy needs.

Obama aides said he supports legislation that would encourage oil companies to drill in offshore areas already approved but not used. Aides have cited his plan for a $20 billion economic stimulus package that would provide rebates people could use to pay for gasoline and efforts to crack down on oil speculators who drive up prices on the world market.

AID FOR DISABLED

COTTONWOOD, Ariz. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain is pledging support for a proposal to expand protections for disabled people under an 18-year-old landmark civil rights law.

Speaking from Arizona by satellite to a disabilities forum in Columbus, Ohio, McCain said Saturday that revisions to the Americans With Disabilities Act must leave no doubt that it was intended to protect from any discrimination that's based on physical or mental disabilities.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who was headed back to the United States from an international trip and didn't attend the forum, has said he supports the bill so that it could override court decisions that narrowed the law's scope.

The Associated Press

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