Sarah Palin Fires Up the McCain Campaign

PALIN-BIG-OIL NOT CHANGE

Palin says the US should drill its way out of dependence on foreign oil [GALLO/GETTY]

Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska who has shot to prominence as John McCain's choice as running-mate, is best known as a passionate believer in new oil and gas exploration, including in Alaska's National Widelife Reserve - something McCain himself rejects.

But campaigners say she has a mixed record on her dealings with the oil corporations to which the Republican party has so many historic ties.

"There is no question that Palin's appointment as the Republican vice-presidential candidate cements the fact that John McCain is the candidate of big oil," Dan Weiss, a senior fellow at the Centre for American Progress, a Washington-based think-tank, told Al Jazeera.

"She supports the agenda of big oil - of more drilling - and she opposes investments in clean and renewable energy," he said.

Palin has presented herself as a challenger to corporate interests in Alaska, although that is because she believes the major energy companies have not acted swiftly enough in carrying out drilling and pipeline projects in the state.

Ending dependence

McCain and Palin have considerable

ties to big oil firms [EPA]

The Alaskan governor also sees more drilling of US oil reserves as a way of ending US dependence on oil imports from the Middle East and elsewhere.

"I beg to disagree with any candidate who would say we can't drill our way out of our problem," she told Investor's Business Daily magazine earlier this year.

In 2006, she acted to renegotiate a deal with Exxon, BP and Conoco Phillips to build a pipeline carrying natural gas from Alaska's North Slope region across Canada to the US.

Palin also pushed for legislation to provide $500m in state funds to the companies to act on the project and eventually agreed to give the contract to TransCanada, a Canadian firm.

She also introduced a new tax on oil companies operating in Alaska and went as far as saying she supported Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, when he proposed a windfall tax as part of his energy policy earlier this year.

However, her husband, Todd Palin used to work for the British Petroleum oil corporation in Alaska's North Slope region and she has collected almost $13,000 from lobbyists connected to the oil industry, reports say.

And Matt Gonzalez, environmentalist Ralph Nader's running-mate for his presidential campaign in 2008, says Palin has characterised the windfall tax in different ways depending on the audience and that she has not taken on oil corporations in the way she has claimed.

"We know that the oil companies have been making profits that have never been seen before, and the taxes that Palin has introduced are trivial in comparison," he told Al Jazeera.

Environmental concerns

Palin has opposed rulings on designating

polar bears as endangered [EPA]

Environmentalists have expressed concern about Palin's views on the causes of climate change.

"A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one, though, who would attribute it to being man-made," she said in an interview in August this year.

Palin, a keen hunter, has also threatened to sue the US government over its ruling on having the polar bear designated as an endangered species and opposed protection for salmon threatened by pollution from the mining industry.

The Palin connection has worried campaigners already concerned about McCain's ties to large oil firms that have led to him being dubbed "Exxon John" by Democrats.

McCain has received more than $1.5m from oil and gas interests for his presidential campaign, nearly four times more than the amount Obama has taken, according to figures up to July from the Centre for Responsive Politics.

Lobbying power

At this year's Republican National Convention, the power of the oil lobbying firms was on display.

In focus

In-depth coverage of the US election

Haly Barbour, the governor of the state of Mississippi, hosted a lavish party for executives from the American Petroleum Institute to meet Republicans on Tuesday, an event targeted by protesters and activists.

Randa Fahmyhudome, a former Bush administration energy official, said Palin was right to call for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

"In America, we are world's number one consumer of petroleum in the world and no-one knows better than Alaskans themselves what is good for environment. We ought to look to Alaskans and Governor Palin on this issue," she said.

"New technology will help us protect the environment while we develop these resources," she added.

Palin and Obama

Palin is being contrasted to Obama. That should say a lot about the presidential candidate Obama....

Palin and interviews

As a independent and undecided voter, I feel it is my duty and the duty of every voter to be a informed voter. However, that has not occurred with the current campaign situation. Since this comment will probably be read by reps from both campaigns, I hope that it will do some good and wake up a few people.

As I stated before I am undecided. I currently feel that I do not have enough information to make a decision on one candidate since they have refused to support, discuss and/or defend their record with any form of unscripted interviews. The argument has been made that this is because the media attacked her family. I agree that a line was crossed with Gov. Palin daughter and do not condone it.

I do find it interesting that you can claim that your family is being attacked in one breath and continue to roll out an infant as a campaign prompt in the next breath. If you wanted to protect your family, why is the infant being used in an obvious attempt to find favor with voters. Double standard?????

The other argument that has been made is the old experience one. It has been stated that Gov. Palin is using time on the PTA as an example of executive experience. Sorry, that just isn’t going to wash. If this was the case then I could use service on my homeowner’s board as “executive” experience.

A mayor does function as an executive, but am I to believe that running what is basically a large town (10,000 people), even though it was called a city, has the same experience as a major city with multi million dollar or billon dollar budgets and population of hundreds of thousands or millions of people. I think not. At best, Gov. Palin experience as mayor gave her the experience to move up to the governorship of a smaller population state like Alaska. After two years I find it hard to believe that she has the proper experience to be handling a national job. This is an issue when you consider that the candidate for president is 72 and has continuing health issues.

Along with the argument of “executive “ experience, every executive I’ve ever known has had to deal with media. It is part of the job and part of the experience. If Gov. Plain thinks the media would attack her family again and not focus on the issues, than just answer that she is not going to discuss family issues, get up and walk out of the interview. She would come off as standing up to the media and it would probably be a positive.

On the other hand, issues and record are fair game. All we have seen out of this candidate has been refusals to do interviews, denying voters like me the ability to be informed. Since an executive is suppose to have experience with the media and from the publicity photos on the Alaska state web site, it appears that Gov. Palin should have the experience to deal with media.

Hence, an educated person and one with common sense can only conclude that the GOP is trying to hide something from the voters. What could possibly prevent Gov. Palin for supporting, discussing, or defending her record from public office? This must occur if I am going to become informed about this candidate and make a decision. I also strongly suspect that I am not the only one that believes this.

So to the candidate and her handlers, what is it going to be, continue to hide or do what is necessary to inform the voter by supporting, discussing and/or defending their public record.

Asking Palin for the TRUTH

It's no surprise that Palin has been insulated from the media. Both her and McCain continue to "fib" to the public. (I don't know what else to call it). She SUPPORTED the "bridge to nowhere" until it got a lot of negative press, at which time she changed her position (but kept the earmark money). She said he put the executive jet on E-Bay. McCain further stated that it sold on E-Bay for a profit. That's simply not true (and he knows better). It was sold at a loss after it failed to sell on E-Bay. If it were Obama, this would be a scandal by now. Why isn't this being reported on CNN??

Due Date

Does anyone know Bristol's due date? Or when the out of wedlock shotgun wedding will be held. Will this conflict with the swearing in?

Wake Up Ameraca

Time to Focus on REAL issues

The Republicans spent three days attacking Obama, but said absolutely nothing on how to deal with our economy and helping middle class Americans. John McCain mentioned "change" but yet, he has spent over 20 years in Washington and brought no change, so what makes a reasonable thinking person think that all of a sudden he will bring change now?

Palin is being used as a smoke screen, to divert the attention away from the real issues hurting this nation. We are talking hockey moms and teenage pregnancy, when we should be discussing the enormous job losses and soldiers dying daily in Iraq. We should be discussing the dumbing down of Americans when women say they will vote for a woman just because she is a woman, give me a break...WAKE UP AMERICA, and THINK.

John McCain's Naval Academy

An important presidential election record will be broken this year, it is not the first time that a woman or Black person will be elected to the Executive office. We will be seeing the greatest American tragedy unfolding right before our eyes. It is one the rare occasions when a native son will not be elected by his own state. To make it worse, such native son is the greatest hero in an area which has always been the pride and joy of that state. Correct me if I am wrong. I have hardly heard any one at the Republican Convention or during their campaign mentioned the Annapolis Naval Academy, not even McCain himself. Being born in Panama to a naval family and travel all over this country and the world, McCain really does not have a true home. Arizona is a states he used for election to Congress which he has not visited frequently. The Navy Academy, which is only ten miles from Baltimore, is the only place McCain can really call his home in which he had spent the happiest time of his college life with his navy friends. Maryland should welcome her naval son with open arms and elect him as president.

But, no! Maryland have 1.6 million Black or approximately 30 % of the state's population or making it the "Black Capital" near of the U. S Capital. It was 36 % to 61% (almost double) in favor of Obama over Hillary during the primary here. All media and people here have expressed the sad fact that little or no Marylanders will vote for McCain. I personally don't like McCain very much but my conscience forced me to campaign for him. This episode is not only the greatest disgrace of all Americans but also of that of the human race. It is an unforgivable sin committed by all Marylanders especially her Black racists, I am ashamed to live in the state of Maryland. I suggest the Government relocate its Naval Academy out of Maryland. This time, the true and only battle ground states (Armageddon) are not Ohio, Florida or Michigan but Maryland. The decision is not who is going to become president? But whether God had made a mistake in creating man?

With this letter I, as prophet, have ended this election right here and now! You people, advertisement and media don't bother to comment on the election again. It will a waste of time.

Jealous?!

Ok- great, now I get it- people are happy about Palin because now the republican ticket shows that you don't have to really know anything or have an education to run for president. You just have to be tortured by someone or have babies and then get really mean and aggressive towards others. I guess this is their interpretation of the 'American dream'? ( oh- you do have to have a lot of money too and probably some relationship with oil companies)

Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin is a wonderful lady and I just don't understand why the liberal elite media is savagely attacking her. Are they afraid of a woman VP or is it just jealousy from female reporters.

I am tired of the democrats and the liberal press that support them. Their mistreatment of Sarah Palin is so characteristic of this motley crew, even though this is a new time low for them. Could they be afraid of what is right and good? My grandmother used to say, "A hit bird flutters".... It seems that a lot of democratic liberal press birds do not know which way to fly in how to handle this courageous upstanding young lady.