HUNTINGTON, W. Va - Republican John McCain appeared to back down on Tuesday in his dispute with his opponent Barack Obama over tire pressure.
Last week in St. Louis, Obama told an audience that steps such as inflating tires to the correct levels could make a difference when it comes to conserving fuel.
Cue gleeful mockery from McCain. Obama was naive, inexperienced and not talking straight to the American people about energy, he said.
His campaign went further, distributing to reporters tire gauges engraved with the words “Obama’s energy plan.”
Predictably, Obama hit back calling McCain’s mockery “ignorant,” arguing his plans were being misrepresented and saying that experts backed his call over tire pressure. Equally predictably, McCain’s camp hit back.
The surprise came during a telephone town hall meeting McCain held on Tuesday with voters in Pennsylvania.
“Obama said a couple of days ago says we all should inflate our tires. I don’t disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it,” McCain said.
But he kept up his broad criticism of Obama on energy: “I … don’t think that that (inflating tires) is a way to become energy independent.”
The United States’ energy challenges will be a central factor in the months leading up to the election. But when it comes to how far to inflate your tires, the air seems to have gone out of the dispute.
Photo credit Reuters/Mike Blake (Gas station near San Diego)
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[...] Reuters: McCain inadvertently stumbles on truth, and in process drives Rovian aides crazy. Money quote: “Obama said a couple of days ago says [sic] we all should inflate our tires. I don’t disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it.” [...]
- Posted by Daily Tidbits: August 6, 2008 « Roadkill RefugeeThe funny part is that inflating our tires cuts our fuel costs by 3%.
Where as drilling for oil the way McCain is proposing would cut our fuel costs 1%.
If McCain thinks the tire pressure thing is too small to be meaningful, then he might want to look at how even more pathetic and superficial his own energy plan is.
- Posted by David Ahlport[...] Reuters “Tales from the Trail” blog: HUNTINGTON, W. Va - Republican John McCain appeared to back down on Tuesday in his [...]
- Posted by D’OH! - Vote '08 : WTVC Newschannel9.comMcCain won that one? What the hell are you smoking Kelly? He just retracted himself….Duh!!!!!!!!
- Posted by JoeAll McCain seems to talk about is Obama. Does McCain stand for anything anymore? Does he have any original thoughts or plans for this country? I hear a lot of people criticizing Obama for his lack of substance but from what I’ve seen McCain has none whatsoever, he just spews party lines and mocks his opponent. I guess since Bush used the same strategy to beat him in the 2000 and 2004 republican primaries he decided to try it for himself. .
- Posted by Brian“”"”"”
Last week in St. Louis, Obama told an audience that steps such as inflating tires to the correct levels could make a difference when it comes to conserving fuel.
“”"”"”
That’s not what Obama said and you know it. He said it would replace all the oil that we aren’t drilling domestically. Is he going to use his personal domestic civilian force to check the air in my tires while they’re putting up images of dear leader?
- Posted by yarrrrr[...] Reuters attempts to spin for Obama, reporting: Last week in St. Louis, Obama told an audience that steps such as inflating tires to [...]
- Posted by Let’s Try This Again; Reuters Spin | The American Pundit“Last week in St. Louis, Obama told an audience that steps such as inflating tires to the correct levels could make a difference when it comes to conserving fuel.”
Nice spin, but that’s not what he said. He said that inflating tires would save the same amount as domestic drilling would produce. I know you wouldn’t understand accuracy if it hit you in the face, so I thought I’d help you out.
- Posted by BensonPoor old John’s feckless attempt at ridiculing Obama and uninflated tires says volumes about his true unconcern regarding the difficulty facing Americans who don’t have zillionaire wives. His technique is about as funny as the jerk who tells dirty jokes at a funeral. Maybe he should read the recommendations of the Automobile Club of America, and get a ration of reality.
- Posted by Henry LandisJohn McCain is picky, petty, and prone to pouting — none of which are
- Posted by Elaine Westmangood characteristics for a President of the United States!!
It’s Clear that McCain won this one. That was a silly statement on Barack’s part
- Posted by kelly CarrInflating your tires is common sense - for fuel savings and safety purposes. No one ever said that it would make us “energy independent”. It’s called conservation - eliminating the needless consumption of energy. That sure as heck is a big part of the solution.
The tire inflation statement sent me over the top, and put McCain at a new low.
He’s currently touring nuclear power stations, which will also do nothing to make us “energy independent” unless he also recognizes electricity as a transportation fuel. It seems to me, with such massive support for drilling and such, that they are still on the internal combustion bandwagon. The cost to build a nuclear unit has risen to nearly $4000+/kW from what I have heard. I don’t have a whole lot against nuclear from the technical standpoint, but it appears that the far superior renewables are coming out on top ECONOMICALLY!
- Posted by cjohnsonWhat the Plain Talk Express will never admit is that under-inflated tires are responsible for nearly 3.3 million gallons of wasted gasoline each and every day.
- Posted by ChristopherWhile the “drill here, drill now” strategy would boost oil production—decades from now—by enough to meet just 1 percent of demand…less than the savings through tire pressure maintenance.
Wow, so McCain finally realized that keeping your tires properly inflated is actually a good way to conserve fuel?
I saw on some Republican forum how certain people remarked “Hey man, all new cars have automatic tire pressure monitors now.” Another said something akin to “Everybody knows it already and Obama shouldn’t lecture us.” LOL.
Well I have two vehicles, one a 2000 model and the other 2007 and neither have built-in tire pressure monitors. I also never check my pressure nor do I know anyone that does and had it not been for this dustup and my subsequent look into the issue, I probably wouldn’t have even bothered.
Now, however, I will be sure to keep it in mind. And if everyone else followed the tip from Obama instead of the GOP’s ignorant attempt to score political points, we’d all be a hell of a lot better off than we are today. Every little bit helps in times like these.
- Posted by Mike H.Quite frankly, I am so nervous about this campaign. For the sake of America and the world, Americans must not make the same mistake they did 8 years ago. McCain isn’t the right one for America and the rest of the world. McCain frightens me. He is going to give the terrorists a really good reason to terrorize people even their own people.
- Posted by raulHow does Obama or McCain know our tires are not inflated
- Posted by Jim Hproperly. I haven’t seen them checking my car. Proper inflation isn’t some new concept to the vast majority of us. Maybe these Senators just found out about this.
The problem is John McCain’s campaign lacks substance. Today it was all about visiting bikers and then offering his wife up for some raunchy topless biker chick contest, yesterday it was tire pressure gauges, last week it was Paris and Britney. Obama has already pointed out that big oil companies are sitting on millions of acres of leased land they could already be prospecting and drilling on NOW! Republicans crying “drill here drill now!” is just a big farce.
- Posted by GOP08_DOAI think that McCain is having trouble with reality. He is trying to belittle Obama. It won’t work. He needs to get a grip and get serious about the issues. You can’t keep talking out of both sides of your mouth in full view of the press and expect to sound like you are “straight talking”. In fact, he is talking in circles and thinks everyone else has an even shorter attention span than he does. It won’t fly…
- Posted by Paul StewartI don’t think that anyone is arguing that inflating your tires doesn’t help save energy. Going 55 also helps save energy, so do regular tune ups. But enough of the 70’s slogans - they didn’t fix things 30 years ago and won’t now.
We need some real answers that will help fix this problem, not some abstract ideas that sound good during a campaign speech (i.e. - I’ll think about offshore oil drilling, I’ll think about nuclear power, etc etc.) My favorite is the new one, release the oil reserve - this is a short term fix at best - I say Mr. Obama should roll out the “I drive 55″ bumper stickers…
- Posted by ErnieIf John McCain can’t handle his handlers..Well, he can’t handle the Presidency.
http://remmet.com/2008/08/05/the-honorab le-if-doddering-john-mccain-is-being-foo led-by-that-nasty-internet/#comment-434
- Posted by HandleThis