Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin

[Arthur Dent]

It's a shame that he's the candidate pushing for nuclear power, which is the most practical aspect of either candidate's energy policy.

And Obama is apparently the ethanol candidate. Ugh.

[Arthur Dent]

Why in the world is that quote syntax triggering the profanity filter?

[lukethedrifter]

Ethanol is a disaster. Is Obama's support political pandering or simply bad policy?

[ghostrunner]

Ethanol is a disaster. Is Obama's support political pandering or simply bad policy?

Payback to the Iowa voters? Of course, Illinois grows it's share of corn as well.

Is Obama against nuclear power, or noncommittal? Either way, that's disappointing.

[cpebbles]

Obama says nuclear power is worth considering and thinks the government should be putting research dollars into finding safer disposal methods, but is not pushing for the construction of new reactors the way McCain is.

[Michael]

Why in the world is that quote syntax triggering the profanity filter?

I don't know. It looks like a bug.

[AdmiralKird]

I have the solution, and it starts with genetically engineered hamsters. That's all you need to know...

[Arthur Dent]

Obama says nuclear power is worth considering and thinks the government should be putting research dollars into finding safer disposal methods, but is not pushing for the construction of new reactors the way McCain is.

What's wrong with the existing disposal methods? This "more research" game is just an excuse not to do anything now.]

As far as building more nuclear power plants, that's great, but how are we going to do it? Nuclear power already receives a large public subsidy but is still too capital intensive to compete with other methods. I believe both candidates support cap and trade on carbon emissions. That will raise the price of fossil fuel power and make nuclear (and other non-carbon energy) more attractive without handing tax money to industry.

[cpebbles]

What's wrong with the existing disposal methods? This "more research" game is just an excuse not to do anything now.

Agreed. But what's wrong with existing disposal methods is that the environmentalist lobby and others are scared of a Chernobyl-like accident and raise the specter of terrorist attacks on spent fuel or groundwater contamination to scare the public.

As far as building more nuclear power plants, that's great, but how are we going to do it? Nuclear power already receives a large public subsidy but is still too capital intensive to compete with other methods.

Startup costs are high, but it's a cost-effective power source once underway. Anyway, we have to choose between subsidizing some form of alternate power and just not reducing our emissions, because wind power is very expensive, solar power is prohibitively expensive, and the areas where hydroelectric power would be cost-effective are mostly already being used.

[Radbird]

Things like this just make me scratch my head.

In Flag City USA, where false Obama rumors fly

"I think Obama would be a disaster, and there's a lot of reasons," said Pollard, explaining the rumors he had heard about the candidate from friends he goes camping with. "I understand he's from Africa, and that the first thing he's going to do if he gets into office is bring his family over here, illegally. He's got that racist [pastor] who practically raised him, and then there's the Muslim thing. He's just not presidential material, if you ask me."

The new advertisement running in Findlay, in which Obama is pictured with his white mother and white grandparents as talks about developing a "deep and abiding faith in the country I love" while growing up in the Kansas heartland, is dismissed by residents of College Street as the desperate lies of another dishonest Washington politician. And they say that Obama's moves to put distance between himself and the Muslim community, with his campaign declining invitations to visit mosques and Obama volunteers removing two women in head scarves from the camera range at a rally in Detroit last week are just a too-late effort to disguise his true beliefs.