Barack Obama is the “Dr. No of energy security” in this John McCain web ad. Dr. No was the villain in the 1962 James Bond picture.
** END OF DAY. Oil hit a new record of $140 per barrel today, driving the stock market down to its lowest level of the year. John McCain’s oil policy was dissed by one of his biggest backers, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a marquee speech in battleground state Florida. Back in California, the Schwarzenegger-dominated Air Resources Board released its conceptual plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. As expected, it relies mainly on regulation — to cut industrial, commercial, and vehicle emissions, largely through the state’s tailpipe emissions law, accelerated requirement for utilities to use renewable power, and new building standards — with only 20% of the savings coming from the carbon market. The plan drew praise from an author of the underlying legislation, Speaker Emeritus Fabian Nunez. Meanwhile, with the energy and equity markets in crisis — and President Bush doing a deal with the dictatorship of North Korea — the McCain campaign sought to engage in a sporadic firefight throughout the day with the Obama campaign over the Supreme Court’s decision affirming the right to bear arms. The issue? Was he or was he not a backer of the DC gun ban? Answer. He played it coy, while saying throughout that he’s for gun ownership.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. From Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s speech today in Miami at the Florida Global Climate Change Summit: “Politicians have been throwing around all kinds of ideas in response to the skyrocketing energy prices, from the rethinking of nuclear power to pushing biofuels and more renewables and ending the ban on offshore drilling, it goes on and on the list. But, anyone who tells you this will lower our gas prices anytime soon is blowing smoke. America is so addicted to oil that it will take years to ween ourselves from it. To look for new ways to feed our addiction is not the answer.”
This is part of a larger speech calling for a comprehensive new energy policy. I’ll be writing a column on what Schwarzenegger is up to.
** OFF THE TABLE? Did today’s Supreme Court decision clearly affirming the right of the individual to own handguns take the issue off the table? As a gun owner, it occurs to me that liberals now couldn’t take away people’s guns even if they wanted to. And the Court, while explicitly affirming the individual’s right to bear arms, also affirmed most gun control laws. Did today’s White House announcement of new policy toward North Korea take the issue of dealing with dictators off the table? Stanford’s Condi Rice has pushed for seven years for a deal with North Korea on its nuclear weapons program, first as national security advisor, then as secretary of state (receiving a big assist last year from New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson). North Korea is part of the “Axis of Evil,” and the Hermit State issues continually belicose statements a half-century after the uneasy end of the Korean War. Yet President Bush and John McCain have supported the negotiation, much of which centered around North Korean demands for funding.
** OBAMA UP IN BATTLEGROUND STATES OF COLORADO, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, AND WISCONSIN. In the new Quinnipiac polls for the Wall Street Journal, Barack Obama leads John McCain in key swing states. In Colorado, it’s 49-44, Michigan 48-42, Minnesota (home of possible McCain running mate Governor Tim Pawlenty 54-37, and Wisconsin 52-39.
** WHERE THEY ARE TODAY.
Barack Obama is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he wraps up his economic tour leading a roundtable discussion of top business and labor leaders from around the country. And in Washington, DC, where he has a private meeting with Hillary Clinton and many of her top financial backers.
John McCain is in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he’ll speak out about the US Supreme Court’s overturning of the DC handgun ban.
** SCHWARZENEGGER LIVE WEBCAST THIS MORNING FROM MIAMI ON CLIMATE CHANGE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks at the Florida Summit on Global Climate Change, along with Governor Charlie Crist. His speech will be webcast live at 9:30 AM on www.gov.ca.gov.
** MY LATEST PODCAST. The road ahead.
** OBAMA V. MCCAIN: THE AD WARS ARE ON. What Obama and McCain are doing in their first rounds of general election TV advertising. Along with the where and the why. From my other blog.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM RUSSIA TODAY. Russia has re-emerged as one of the world’s great powers. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer, bringing you English-language, jargon-free, fast-paced coverage of global and Russian news from the new Russia Today channel. You probably already know about CNN International, BBC World, and Al Jazeera. Russia Today, which also features culture, entertainment, and sports, is based in Moscow and is owned and operated by the TV Novosti division of Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti.
While it’s quite foolish to expect to see, say, criticism of Vladimir Putin on Russia Today, which I know as a former DemRussia advisor, the channel is very interesting nonetheless. With U.S. cable news chattering away as it does, this sort of respite can be informative. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** TRACK GLOBAL AND U.S. ENERGY PRICES IN NEAR REAL TIME VIA BLOOMBERG ENERGY MARKET WATCH. Crude oil has shot back up and is trading in the $138 to $139 per barrel range.
Your posts are welcome in the Forum.
Read 
| Comments (106) |
“All we need now is a ‘Dr. No’ ad sequel, featuring Scarlett Johannson as Ursula Andress”
Where do I contribute?!
With today’s underwater filming technologies, imagine the possibilities!
>Where do I contribute?!
Pervy men. lol
>I’ll be writing a column on what Schwarzenegger is up to.
Post-2011, Arnold goes global in some way, right? Special global warming envoy for the USA or UN, maybe?
Well, I don’t expect you to spoil your column
. I look forward to your take.
If digging Scarlett makes me a perv, then I guess you better lock me up! I am sorry if my previous remarks were offensive to anyone, and I’ll be more careful.
>Ann:
Pervy men. lol
“…anyone who tells you this will lower our gas prices anytime soon is blowing smoke.”
…or smoking blow. That’s what I said.
Does Arnold feel a little betrayed by the direction of McCain’s campaign? For awhile it sounded like New Republicanism was going to take center stage in 2008, but increasingly it looks like Arnold is a one-man-band.
Chris M — Ann’s having fun with you.
Obama on Supreme Court ruling:
I have always believed that the Second Amendment protects the right of individuals to bear arms, but I also identify with the need for crime-ravaged communities to save their children from the violence that plagues our streets through common-sense, effective safety measures. The Supreme Court has now endorsed that view, and while it ruled that the D.C. gun ban went too far, Justice Scalia himself acknowledged that this right is not absolute and subject to reasonable regulations enacted by local communities to keep their streets safe. Today’s ruling, the first clear statement on this issue in 127 years, will provide much-needed guidance to local jurisdictions across the country.
As President, I will uphold the constitutional rights of law-abiding gun-owners, hunters, and sportsmen. I know that what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne. We can work together to enact common-sense laws, like closing the gun show loophole and improving our background check system, so that guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists or criminals. Today’s decision reinforces that if we act responsibly, we can both protect the constitutional right to bear arms and keep our communities and our children safe.
The Times Bottleneck blog is at the big Metro meeting in L.A. providing updates on Mayor AV’s attempts to work a deal for the sales tax proposal, for those who want to monitor this developing story
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bottleneck/
A ban of guns is never going to work. There are just too many guns in this country squarrelled away in cubbyholes etc. A ban would work about as well as prohibition. So we should work to prevent the bad guys from having them and encourage folks who want them for self-protection to take a course on how to use it plus ongoing practice and maintenance.
Good for Schwarzenegger! He is exactly right about energy.
I don’t think Obama is anti-handgun possession — I don’t think he would ever say that, but I think he and Hillary Clinton had at least gone on record supporting the constitutionality of the DC ordinance, which bans handguns. I am not sure it will be completely off the table in the election, but surely it will be minimized to a degree. Given that it was a 5-4 decision, I suppose the gun rights folks might try to scare voters with what they might expect to happen if Obama is elected and appointing Supreme Court justices.
I don’t think Obama ever really commented on the DC ordinance. I’d be more comfortable with him if he owned a gun. Although for all I know, he does and just isn’t saying.
I’m a gun owner. Not because I feel particularly threatened or anything. But an emergency situation might arise in which it would be better to be armed than not.
In the brand-new Bloomberg/LA Times Poll, taken June 19-23, Barack Obama leads John McCain in a one-on-one match-up, 49% to 37%., scribes BB a couple of days ago, but today I saw a wire story in my inbox saying that Obama and McCain Still Tied, Now at 44%.
Any help explaining the dissimilarity would be cool.
Today’s story:
http://www.gallup.com/tag/Gallup%2bDaily.aspx
The Bloomberg/LA Times story:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=agCTbSDJ83rc&refer=home
You may be right that neither Obama nor Clinton really commented on the DC gun ban. I know they both dodged it big time during one of the debates, so it could be that they had seen it coming before, and were circumspect about saying anything. I thought he had said something more definitive in support, but maybe not. (I may be wrong yet again:) EIther way, I am sure the republican operatives and the NRA will go to the trouble of finding out.
I don’t own a handgun, but I certainly think it is perfectly fine to do so. Two friends of mine have CCW permits, which is even cooler in my view. I would like to see some kind of logical (and easier) method for people to get those…
I don’t think I need a concealed weapon permit. Nor do most people.
One poll is right. One poll is wrong.
There are now three major polls showing Obama with a double-digit lead nationally. All other polls have Obama. Except for the one you’re citing.
The individual state polls, taken together, indicate that Obama has a real lead nationwide.
>Hap Hazard:
In the brand-new Bloomberg/LA Times Poll, taken June 19-23, Barack Obama leads John McCain in a one-on-one match-up, 49% to 37%., scribes BB a couple of days ago, but today I saw a wire story in my inbox saying that Obama and McCain Still Tied, Now at 44%.
Any help explaining the dissimilarity would be cool.
Today’s story:
http://www.gallup.com/tag/Gallup%2bDaily.aspx
The Bloomberg/LA Times story:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=agCTbSDJ83rc&refer=home
Jun 26, 2008 – 2:51 pm
I don’t think I need a concealed weapon permit. Nor do most people. – Right. One doesn’t need one to protect the home, for sure. But I have been in situations and areas, extremely infrequently, where I would have liked to have been legally entitled to carry a concealed weapon on my person.
One poll is right. One poll is wrong. — Very funny! It is what I figured. I just don’t know which of these to rely on, but I guess it is the exit polling where the big problems have been. Interesting in any event.
What’s wrong with both the McCain and Obama commercials–it’s June 26, and they are in distribution. June 26!! It’s going to be a very long four or five months.
That’s for sure. That’s why I’m taking it easier for awhile.
Well, Hap, my observation is that, unless you are trained, a gun is going to get you in more trouble than it gets you out of.
A gun can give you a false sense of confidence. If you don’t know how to use one, it can easily get you hurt very badly. Even if you are trained, it’s apt to give you more bravado than you should have in a risk situation.
>Hap Hazard:
I don’t think I need a concealed weapon permit. Nor do most people. – Right. One doesn’t need one to protect the home, for sure. But I have been in situations and areas, extremely infrequently, where I would have liked to have been legally entitled to carry a concealed weapon on my person.
Hey, I own a gun. Got no problem with the second amendment. I think certain types of ammunition should be controlled. If we can control booze and cigarettes, I think we should be able to control ak-47 rounds and hollow point bullets. They ain’t much good for deer huntin’ and both suck for self-defense. Want a gun for defending your home? Get a twelve-gauge automatic. It makes a scary sound when you load it and it impossible to miss, short range.
Schwarzenegger’s global warming plan looks good.
So, let me get this straight. The economy is melting and McCain wants to talk about … guns. Jesus.
“END OF DAY.”
Nice round-up. If I had only invested in oil stocks instead of all the Internet and Biotech crap…
McCain keeps picking the oddest fights. Comparing the statements issued by Obama and McCain after the Supreme Court decision, Obama looks like the more moderate candidate.
I’m very puzzled by McCain’s strategy – does he have one? Why does he keep tracking Right? Why does he ignore his strengths and go for Republican talking points instead?
I’m looking into my crystal ball and I predict a McCain flip-flop on gay marriage…
lol
BB: John McCain’s oil policy was dissed by one of his biggest backers, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a marquee speech in battleground state Florida.
or turn gay…
Now, now …
Probably a big thrill.
>Ann:
lol
BB: John McCain’s oil policy was dissed by one of his biggest backers, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a marquee speech in battleground state Florida.
Jun 26, 2008 – 5:09 pm
Thanks.
I think they have a problem with the base.
And the overall is not good for them.
>Brasky:
“END OF DAY.”
Nice round-up. If I had only invested in oil stocks instead of all the Internet and Biotech crap…
McCain keeps picking the oddest fights. Comparing the statements issued by Obama and McCain after the Supreme Court decision, Obama looks like the more moderate candidate.
I’m very puzzled by McCain’s strategy – does he have one? Why does he keep tracking Right? Why does he ignore his strengths and go for Republican talking points instead?
I’m looking into my crystal ball and I predict a McCain flip-flop on gay marriage…
Jun 26, 2008 – 5:06 pm
Indeed.
>Capitol Boy:
So, let me get this straight. The economy is melting and McCain wants to talk about … guns. Jesus.
Jun 26, 2008 – 5:06 pm
Cap and trade is part of the mix, as it should be.
>Capitol Boy:
Schwarzenegger’s global warming plan looks good.
Jun 26, 2008 – 5:05 pm
A shotgun, huh, Pat? That’s pretty old school.
I developed a liking for pistols in the Navy, and M-16s. Obviously the latter being out of the question. But the Browning Hi-Power could jam, so I stick with the pocket cannon, the .357 Magnum. Which I keep unloaded. All the better to dry fire at the screen …
>Pat Skipper:
Hey, I own a gun. Got no problem with the second amendment. I think certain types of ammunition should be controlled. If we can control booze and cigarettes, I think we should be able to control ak-47 rounds and hollow point bullets. They ain’t much good for deer huntin’ and both suck for self-defense. Want a gun for defending your home? Get a twelve-gauge automatic. It makes a scary sound when you load it and it impossible to miss, short range.
Jun 26, 2008 – 4:18 pm
I had meant that he move to actively campaign for the anti-gay marriage measures in CA and FL.
Well, in that case McCain will go right up against Schwarzenegger again.
well, if he’s going to flip-flop, he should at least be consistent about it!
What happened to the blood in the streets of Denver?
“What happened to the blood in the streets of Denver?”
Is that one of McCain’s ideas to curb global warming?
Get a twelve-gauge automatic. It makes a scary sound when you load it and it impossible to miss, short range – That is wisdom that my dad always espoused the whole time he was alive, and I think that is about right. But I never owned a weapon, truthfully because I have raised a kid for the last 18 years and have had enough problems day in and day out and t has never seemed necessary or useful, at least to me in the circumstance I had in front of me.
Was he or was he not a backer of the DC gun ban? Answer. He played it coy, while saying throughout that he’s for gun ownership. — Apparently this question will come up again, in that today, just hours after the Supreme Court ruled on the DC gun ban law, a lawsuit was filed in Chicago challenging its very similar gun law.
http://www.chicagoguncase.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/complaint.pdf
Larry,
Question: Have you read the latest Inspector O book? Like it???
Guns ahhhh
The Gov says, “To look for new ways to feed our addiction is not the answer.”
What is he saying IS the answer?
Pat – I was always told that for those who prefer shotguns for protection that the Ithaca 37 pump was the best because the unmistakable sound of a round being chambered was a huge deterrent. It used to be one of the few shotguns that could be slam-fired (which always seemed crazy to me).
But I’m with Hap – I won’t have any guns in the house until my kids are grown up and gone. If I were to buy something to protect myself, it would be a pistol of some sort. Something with a smooth trigger pull. I’ve done a lot plinking and couldn’t group shots worth a damn with a rough trigger, unless I fired single action.
Can’t you keep your gun unloaded?
Um, I wonder if anyone who is already inside your home is going to be deterred by a scary sound.
>Brasky:
Pat – I was always told that for those who prefer shotguns for protection that the Ithaca 37 pump was the best because the unmistakable sound of a round being chambered was a huge deterrent. It used to be one of the few shotguns that could be slam-fired (which always seemed crazy to me).
As I believe I wrote, there is a column coming.
Incidentally, the ice cap at the North Pole just might melt this summer.
>Sam Loomis:
The Gov says, “To look for new ways to feed our addiction is not the answer.”
What is he saying IS the answer?
Jun 26, 2008 – 8:42 pm
Guns are fun?
>carole w:
Guns ahhhh
Jun 26, 2008 – 8:02 pm
If the Obama campaign knows what it’s doing, this is an elaborate waste of time for Team McCain.
>Hap Hazard:
Was he or was he not a backer of the DC gun ban? Answer. He played it coy, while saying throughout that he’s for gun ownership. — Apparently this question will come up again, in that today, just hours after the Supreme Court ruled on the DC gun ban law, a lawsuit was filed in Chicago challenging its very similar gun law.
http://www.chicagoguncase.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/complaint.pdf
Jun 26, 2008 – 7:32 pm
Another fantasy solution of the far right to the overall situation.
>marcos leon:
What happened to the blood in the streets of Denver?
Jun 26, 2008 – 7:03 pm