Complex, difficult issues are often reduced to blather on the political campaign trail. Consider John McCain mocking Barack Obama over the weekend.
"You know the other night in the debate with Senator Obama, I said his eloquence is admirable, but pay attention to his words - we talked about offshore drilling and he said he would 'consider' offshore drilling. We talked about nuclear power. Well, it has to be safe, environment, blah, blah, blah."
Blah, blah, blah? When talking about the safety of civilian nuclear plants, not to mention safely storing nuclear waste? Did McCain really intend to be so dismissive of such critical concerns?
As for offshore drilling, last summer McCain's mantra was "drill here, drill now." Drilling offshore is not a matter of here and now. Developing an offshore leasing program and decisions about where and when to drill is a multi-year, multi-step process that involves consideration of the impact of drilling and development on the natural and human environment; competing interests (commercial and sports fishing, tourism, military activities); the preparation of lengthy environmental impact statements; and an opportunity for public comment.
Considering offshore drilling, along with a variety of other, more sustainable energy polices, seems a more prudent course than the heedless, "drill here, drill now."
Incidentally, "drill here, drill now," has morphed into "drill, baby, drill," on the McCain/Palin campaign trail. Drill, baby, drill is a direct rip-off of "burn, baby, burn," which was first associated with the urban riots of the 1960s. A surprising rallying cry to echo (considering its radical, nihilistic origins) -- and just as mindless.
Backstory: McCain and Obama are referring to drilling in offshore areas where leasing was prohibited by an annual congressional moratorium, which both senators had previously supported. As crude oil and gasoline prices peaked last summer and demands for expanded domestic crude production increased, political pressure built to lift the moratorium. Congress allowed the moratorium to expire last month. Crude prices have dropped by more than half since the summer, and US gasoline prices by about 30%. The declines have had nothing to do with ending the moratorium.
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