Senator's Broad Range Of Energy Policies Defies Categories

[kristopher]

Senator's Broad Range
Of Energy Policies Defies Categories
By LAURA MECKLER
June 24, 2008; Page A6

Sen. John McCain is putting energy policy at the center of his presidential campaign, embracing a diverse array of positions that defies easy categorization.

He is for more oil drilling and also for alternatives to oil. He wants to drill off the coasts but not in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He supports subsidies for nuclear power and clean-coal technology, but has opposed them for ethanol, solar and wind power.

He wants to lower gasoline prices by temporarily suspending the federal gas tax. But he wants to raise the price of gas with a cap-and-trade system that punishes polluting industries.

In environmentally conscious Portland, Ore., he praised wind power. In Texas oil country he supported more drilling. In rural Missouri he urged more nuclear power. In California he praised fuel-efficiency standards.

"It's all over the map," said Bob Ebel, a senior adviser and energy expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "I'm just sort of scratching my head."

In general, the Republican presidential candidate...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121426587652898519.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

[Bucky]

1. His being flip about energy is a flop.

I know in his gut, he wants to do a few smart things. If he'd just be consistent about it, he might even had a decent policy to propose--of course then it would be a Democratic policy, but never mind the details.