In one of the few halfhearted efforts to woo the conservative base, and possibly the majority of gas-grizzled Americans, John McCain will announce tomorrow that he is for the encouragement of domestic oil drilling… to some extent that he hasn’t really explained.

With the price of gasoline surging past $4 a gallon in many parts of the country, Senator John McCain called today for the lifting of the federal moratorium on offshore oil drilling for states that want to permit it.

He said that he also favors giving states incentives to allow exploration, part of an energy proposal that he said would be “very helpful in the short term for resolving our energy crisis.”

Currently America is sitting on its thumbs when it comes to utilizing our natural resources, even in areas that no yuppy overly eco-conscious tourists will ever see. And don’t think that by waiting we’ll end up with the last ace of the deck, many other powers are edging up to our borders in order to take advantage of the fuel we’re (as of yet) unwilling to pursue.

Babalu Blog has more information on how close the Chinese are to setting up shop in the gulf. Do you hear that sucking sound? It’s the American economy’s future getting slurped up like cheap chop suey.

So while it’s technically true that China is not presently drilling for oil on the Cuban side of the Florida straits it’s only because they haven’t gotten the logistics straight yet not because of a lack of interest or desire. The greater point remains. If Cuba can drill on its side (with Chinese or other help) where an ecological mishap will certainly affect us in South Florida then why shouldn’t American companies (which I am sure have a better record of safe exploration and drilling) be allowed to drill on our side. The risk is marginal and the reward is potentially great.

I think the answer is obvious. If you drill, you’ll encourage the continued use of an abundant and readily accessible resource. Also, you might annoy some ferns or something. So yeah, no economy for you. Just give it to the Chinese… who aren’t that bad to begin with. It’s not like they’re as oppressive as emperor Bush or anything.

Gateway Pundit illustrates how it should be done ala Brazil.

As a matter of fact, I bet most of you feel the same way I do…

Michelle Malkin has more background on McCain’s lukewarm history on domestic drilling.

Read much of what is over at Big Lizards about Obama’s proposed energy policies and you might get violently ill. Remember to go ahead and schedule a doctor’s appointment now so that you’ll be able to get in for an office visit by the Messiah’s second term thanks to universal healthcare.

Ace of Spades illustrates how the only thing standing between us and plenty of the sweet, sweet oil is a pesky mineral leftover from the age of blacksploitation films and (previously) record gas prices.

And finally, Hot Air has video of the usually kooky Cramar giving us a well deserved rant about the folly of blaming oil companies for being profitable. Are you listening, McCain?

This entry was posted on Monday, June 16th, 2008 at 7:50 pm and is filed under China, Cuba, Foreign Policy, oil. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.