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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To sid:
The Bush administration did NOT estimate 200,000 barrels of oil by 2030 from offshore drilling.
That was an estimate from the EIA, a federal agency. It was done almost two years ago, and was based on oil at $60 a barrel, which is what it was then….and the EIA estimated that oil would drop to $50 a barrel.
With oil well over $100 a barrel, which is where it is, that estimate has no relevance whatsoever to current conditions. Far more oil could profitably be extracted at these prices than the $50-60 range.
You are either ignorant of this or lying. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and accept the premise that you are ignorant.
- Posted by Ken BerwitzThis blog is a complete lie.
Christopher Wilson claims that Obama “told an audience that steps such as inflating tires to the correct levels could make a difference when it comes to conserving fuel.
But that is NOT what Obama said. Here is his verbatim comment “There are things that you can do individually, though, to save energy. Making sure your tires are properly inflated. Simple thing. But we could save all the oil that they’re talking about getting off drilling if everyone was just inflating their tires. And getting regular tune-ups. You could actually save just as much”
Got it? Wilson makes it seem as though all Obama said was that proper tire inflation helps conserve fue. But what Obama actually said is that it would save an amount of fuel equivalent to all the proposed drilling.
Just a teeny weeny difference there, wouldn’t you think?
Then, when McCain acknowledges that it’s good to keep tires properly inflated, Wilson concludes he now has the same position as Obama does, he switched to Obama’s way of thinking.
Simply stated, that is a lie, built from a lie.
What a shameful, dishonest, unprofessional example of poor journalism.
- Posted by Ken BerwitzI’m embarrassed that I thought McCain’s immature jackassery was endearing in 2000. We were both a lot younger then, I guess I’ve gotten less childish and he hasn’t.
- Posted by AleksPerhaps Mr. McCain ought to kick butt where his “handlers” are concerned and go with the following, Mr. & Mrs. Reader:
http://www.nfl.com/videos;jsessionid=AB1 132BACACF4033411541B08F73761A?videoId=09 000d5d80924c91
I won’t even consider voting for Mr. McCain until he gets off his sarcastic and disgusting high horse.
I am sick and damn tired of 1) republican race-baiting (e.g., G.H.W. Bush v. Michael Dukakis 1988; G.W. Bush v. John McCain 2000; McCain v. Barack Obama 2008) 2) republican religious preference-baiting (e.g., McCain v. Obama 2008) 3) republican sexual preference-baiting (e.g., G.W. Bush v. Ann Richards 1994) 4) republican hero-baiting (e.g., G.W. Bush v. John Kerry 2004 & McCain v. Obama 2008).
All of the preceding “baiting” and “card playing” are targeted at the “stupid vote”.
Even when it works (and it does work mind you), it is pathetic and disgusting. These are the practices of desperate republican candidates who know they are going to be defeated…and therefore have nothing to lose by using ads whose content came from the toilet and whose content should have been flushed, rather than fished out and handled by bare republican hands.
Unfortunately, even when they win, these desperate republican candidates can’t get the smell off, no matter how long they remain in office.
OK Jack
- Posted by OK Jack[...] I don’t disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it,” McCain said. Some meat thinks. Some doesn’t. This is what one chunk of meat has on its [...]
- Posted by ThinkingMeat · Why laugh?[...] Obama responded by giving the same suggestion everyone from GM and Ford to NASCAR and the Governator to (again) Bush’s Energy Dept. gives: inflate your tires properly and keep your engine tuned up. Despite the fact several of their own leaders and supporters have made the same suggestion, Republicans gleefully pounced on Obama’s simple suggestion (though yesterday Sen. McCain did straight up admit that Sen. Obama was right to give the advice). [...]
- Posted by Oil Spill « Illinois ReasonQuote: “I’m roaring with laughter at this post. You really weren’t aware of the need to check your tire pressure before this “dustup”? FYI, you also need to change your oil and filter every 3,000-5,000 miles and turn your wipers on when it rains.
Obama’s “tip” isn’t news to 99% of drivers. I’d save the “ignorant” remark for those who don’t know the most basic auto maintenance requirements.”
Do you not read the statistics out there? Sure, tire inflation SHOULD be a no-brainer for 99% of drivers. The fact remains that nearly 60% of automobiles have at least one underinflated tire. Obviously, folks either don’t know, or more likely, don’t care about tire inflation and auto maintenance. If you’re too lazy to actually take steps such as these you deserve the wrath of high gasoline and energy prices. Personally, I’m not too inclined to help those that don’t want to help themselves. The sad fact, however, is that these folks are taking the rest of us down with them…
- Posted by AdamClaiming that Obama’s suggestion of tire inflation is his entire energy policy is the latest example of the use of a common strategy: Distortion of an opponent’s position to make it sound ridiculous. Of course, Obama’s point was that tire inflation would actually contribute more to meeting our needs for oil than off-shore drilling.
Perhaps the real problem with Obama’s suggestion is that oil companies don’t make any money from it.
- Posted by Stephen Krashen[...] by 3 to 4 percent. It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant.” UpdateSen. McCain said tonight, “Obama a couple of days ago said that we ought to all inflate our tires, and I don’t [...]
- Posted by Zev Mo Bloggin’ » Blog Archive » Exclusive: Auto Makers Deflate McCain’s Ignorant Hot Air On Value Of Proper Tire InflationWhere can I get one of those cool Obama tire pressure gauges? Sounds like a pretty good thing to have since it does conserve on fuel. I heard a bunch of Repubs and even Nascar agreed with Obama on this one. Perhaps WcCain didn’t get the memo….
Anyways, wasn’t WcCain against drilling offshore about a month or two ago? Oh that’s right….he made over a million dollars lately from the Hess oil folks after flippity flopping once again on that issue.
- Posted by dan@ernie
You must just have a problem with general logic. Calling these 70’s slogans is just a stupid statement, and shows that you just want some sweeping change to take care of all of our environmental problems. Perhaps these have been proposed in the past, but if people actually committed to them we wouldnt be int he situation we’re in now.
- Posted by CraigWhat McCain can’t seem to grasp (drill, Drill, DRill, DRIll, DRILl, DRILLLLLLL! - read as Arlo Guthrie in Alices Restaurant(kill)) is that there won’t be one simple solution to this problem. He can’t seem to understand that while what he wants will be years from - if at all - helping, and then would only be short term. With this as a ‘plan’ , we’ll have to do it (find solutions) all over again. AND since we all know who benefits most from oil as a main energy source, does anyone really think
But then, there are many, many things that McCain can’t seem to grasp. Witness his most recent ad campaign that essentially suggests (in hurt schoolboy fashion) that he is more qualified to be president simply because he ISN’T as popular as Obama.
- Posted by JeffJohn McCain = $540 shoes
- Posted by Old John McCan'tMcCain wants to build 45 new nuclear power plants. There are numerous problems here - licensing and permits take years to get approved, not to mention the NIMBY aspect and how about the nuclear waste - just to name a few concerns.
The energy problem/solution is multi faceted, and will not please everyone. As a person who lives on a coast in Florida I don’t want off-shore drilling, but recognize the need for compromise to move forward so I have to swallow the medicine as long as giant steps are made to move far away from energy dependence. I believe solar and wind are the answer, plus we, the people, need to take personal responsibility.
McCain scares me too. Can you imagine what the world would think of the U.S. if McCain was elected? We would lose so much more credibility.
- Posted by TinkerbeeMcCain is an airhead with a slow leak.
- Posted by Thomas McRFBorjal — you’re so right! If the McCain campaign actually CAMPAIGNED on the issues important to America and the world instead of be reactionary to every single thing Barack Obama does, then they may actually find that many undecided voters respect their IDEAS rather than deplore them for this stupid game of “gotcha” that they seem to enjoy playing. Until I can see anything remotely relevant about John McCain or his campaign, it’s OBAMA ALL THE WAY!!
- Posted by LouisThe Tire-Gauge Solution: No Joke
Time.com
http://www.time.com/time/politics/articl e/0,8599,1829354,00.html
“The Bush Administration estimates that expanded offshore drilling could increase oil production by 200,000 bbl. per day by 2030. We use about 20 million bbl. per day, so that would meet about 1% of our demand two decades from now. Meanwhile, efficiency experts say that keeping tires inflated can improve gas mileage 3%, and regular maintenance can add another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone did, we could immediately reduce demand several percentage points. In other words: Obama is right.”
- Posted by SidEvery time McCain opens his mouth he puts his foot in it. I guess he’s not aware of the harm he’d do as president.
- Posted by patrick jamesObama doesn’t think that inflating tires are the way to energy independence either. McCain is arguing with himself about crap he has made up. Sounds senile to me.
- Posted by Kitmccain proved his inability to comprehend issues-again. a sure sign of senility.
- Posted by pomblanc