Another Cam Cardow political cartoon. And don’t pretend you didn’t wonder about the potential risk (heh)…

If you’ve been following recent press coverage of Obama’s “energy plan”, you’re probably left with the same impression I was - that it’s a utopian generalization that, like much of what he says, sounds nice, yet on closer examination, offers few specifics.

Aside from the fact that a sitting president lacks the power to implement the steps conceivably needed to accomplish the “plan’s” stated goals, it doesn’t even include sufficient specifics to be called a “plan”. Maybe a list of lofty sounding “wishes”, but hardly a “plan” any more than the one proposed by Dilbert’s PHB in one of my recent posts.

That’s not to say that the one actual “plan” he has put forward - inflate our tires - isn’t a real plan. It is. But, like Obama himself, it won’t solve much.

Here’s something to ask ourselves: Are we being held hostage by foreign oil as we’re been told? Or is Congress the real culprit?

I remember when the Republican led Congress passed a bill to drill, only to have it vetoed by Bill Clinton. Well, here we still are. So in this video clip, Newt Gingrich suggests three things we should do now to dramatically lower the cost of oil.

Is anybody listening?

James sent this Cam Cardow political cartoon from The Ottawa Citizen. Given the apparent success thus far of Obama’s “All Sizzle” campaign strategy, it’s a natural!

I’m trying to stay in tune with the presidential campaigns but, like many, I find myself dozing off. The things I’ve been waiting to see — some “sizzle” from McCain and some “steak” from Obama — should have become more evident by now, yet remain obscured behind the media’s love affair with Obama.

As John Dickerson wrote in an article more than a year ago, the perception that Obama was “all sizzle and no steak” remained despite efforts by his handlers to change it.

“The huge crowds and stirring but vague reform rhetoric don’t give voters anything they can take home in their pocket. This has lead to some high-profile failures—at a health-care forum in Nevada and with firefighters in Washington—in venues where audiences wanted to hear specifics about ideas that will change their lives. Obama’s rhetoric makes this task more difficult. He presents himself as a paradigm-shifting candidate, which means people are expecting to be floored not just by his charisma but by his ideas.”

Dickerson pointed out that, in the polls, Clinton did far better than Obama on questions of experience, leadership, and capacity to handle a crisis, trouncing him by more than 30 points among Democrats looking more for strength and experience. Worse for Obama, when voters were asked the question in the abstract whether he had enough experience for the job, only 30 percent of respondents said yes in a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. On the same question, Clinton scored in the 70s. Yet Obama received his highest marks in polls from people who thought he was new, fresh, and inspiring. In the end, Democrats chose the latter.

And not much has changed. Obama’s skill at eloquently “reframing the question” to convince Democrats that charisma trumps experience seems to be keeping his ball in the air. But an empty suit—albeit a charismatic one—is still just sizzle and no steak.

Which leads me to my latest bumper sticker, sent to me by James. It pairs well with my McCain sticker, don’t you think? Maybe I’ll stick them both in my side bar. Hmmmm…Reminds me of the 80s Wendy’s television commercial. “Where’s the beef?”

Regular contributer Hugh Atkin from Down Under makes videos, some of which are comedic spoofs featuring the U.S. presidential candidates, and posts them on YouTube. Says Hugh in an email the other day:

“I’d taken a bit of a break from election videos, but if you’re interested, I’ve just posted a mock interview with Barack Obama based on the word association game he played on Fox News. I hope you like it.

Best regards,

Hugh Atkin”

In this spoof, Obama struggles with the concept of word association. I found it pretty funny. See what you think.

Here are a couple more of Hugh’s videos I particularly enjoyed: “What Voters Want Is…” and “Clinton and Cruise - On the Campaign Trail”

No presidential election would be complete without a contribution from JibJab to make light of it. Here’s their latest…

Got this updated oldie from Michael…

One sunny day in 2008, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he’d been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the Marine standing guard and said, “I would like to go in and meet with President Obama.”

The Marine replied, “Sir, Senator Obama is not the President and doesn’t reside here.”

The old man said, “Okay,” and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, “I would like to go in and meet with President Obama.”

The Marine again told the man, “Sir, as I said yesterday, Senator Obama is not the President and doesn’t reside here.”

The man thanked him and again walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same Marine, saying “I would like to go in and meet with President Obama.”

The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, “Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to President Obama. I’ve told you several times that Senator Obama is not the President and doesn’t reside here. Don’t you understand?”

The old man replied, “Oh, I understand you fine! I just love hearing you say it!”

Simple, concise and strategic. But not so in the U.S. where our politicians endlessly debate alternative fuel sources and vie for their favorites (read “special interests”) to get all the federal funding.

Oil companies want oil to remain “the” transportation fuel source unless they get distribution control of the alternatives; farmers want ethanol to play a big part even though, at best, it can only supplement oil; solar panel makers aren’t sure exactly how they might power autos but they want in on the apparent “green energy” boom; battery manufacturers have been challenged to make cells that provide greater driving range and cost efficiency than are available today; and some, including Bush, want to tap the bazillion gallons of oil under our own feet, although Democrats seem bent on preventing that from ever happening.

All have a place in the solution although none alone are the holy grail of transportation fuel. Problem is, we can’t move forward with any of them until the political squabbling ends and that doesn’t appear anywhere on the horizon. Meanwhile, we’re getting skewered by our dependence on foreign oil. And while some believe we can just “wait until prices come back down” (like that will ever happen!), our politicians continue whoring around with special interests while Rome burns.

From Frank…

The incandescent light bulb is a quintessential American invention, discovered by Thomas Edison more than 125 years ago, but its future seems to be fading to black amid an ever-greening society. As Americans become more environmentally conscious, consumers are being pushed to buy more earth friendly products including compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs, the latest help-the-planet issue du jour among concerned citizens.

At the federal level, President Bush signed an energy bill in December that, among other changes, will require all light bulbs sold in the United States by 2014 to be at least 70 percent more efficient than today. For those of you that haven’t already connected the dots, the mandate means that, without major improvements, incandescent bulbs will disappear from store shelves by 2014.

After Congress delivered its comprehensive energy bill to the White House in a Toyota Prius hybrid car, U.S. Rep. Jane Harman, a California Democrat, waxed poetic about light bulbs, noting that little had changed since Edison and his glass tube and filament. “When it comes to illumination,” Harman said, “we still live in a cave.”

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An oldie from Eleonore that deserves another run…

Judy Wallman, a professional genealogical researcher, discovered that Hillary Clinton’s great-great uncle, Remus Rodham, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana. The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows. On the back of the picture is this inscription:

“Remus Rodham, horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1883, escaped 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer six times, caught by Pinkerton Detectives, convicted and hanged, 1889.”

Judy e-mailed Hillary Clinton for comments. Hillary’s staff sent back the following biographical sketch:

“Remus Rodham was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, finally taking leave in 1887 to resume his dealings with the railroad. He was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform on which he was standing collapsed.”

And that, folks, is how it’s done.

Another ‘toon from James…

The political landscape is changing now that the interminable Obama-Clinton pissing contest (“I’m for change…” “No, I”M for change…”) has finally ended with Obama demonstrating only slightly greater distance. Expect a different kind of tourney between McCain and Obama between now and November which will include its share of clever…

…and satirical…

…videos on YouTube. All I can say is that McCain’s campaign staff better learn to harness the power of viral videos if they want him to appeal to young “MTV Generation” voters.

I read and listened to John McCain’s March 31 speech delivered in Meridian, Mississippi on the first day of his Service To America Tour. I’d wanted to learn something more about the former Naval aviator and Vietnam POW, about his character and core beliefs, how he reasons and what he’s made of. I found the speech a beginning, though I’ll need to delve much deeper if I’m to better understand the man who hopes to be our next Commander-in Chief. From the speech:

“…Like most people, when I reflect on the adventures and joys of youth, I feel a longing for what is lost and cannot be restored. But though the happy pursuits of the young prove ephemeral, something better can endure, and endure until our last moment of life. And that is the honor we earn and the love we give when we work and sacrifice with others for a cause greater than our self-interest. For me that cause has long been our country. I am a lucky, lucky man to have found it, and am forever grateful to those who showed me the way. What they gave me was much more valuable and lasting than the tribute I once paid to vanity.

I am the son and grandson of admirals. My grandfather was an aviator; my father a submariner. They were my first heroes, and their respect for me has been one of the most lasting ambitions of my life. They gave their lives to their country, and taught me lessons about honor, courage, duty, perseverance and leadership that I didn’t fully grasp until later in life, but remembered when I needed them most. I have been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. But I am their son, and they showed me how to love my country, and that has made all the difference for me, my friends, all the difference in the world.”

My first reaction to McCain had been that he was too much a maverick, his positions failing to follow a traditional path along “conservative” or “Republican” lines. But I’m learning that he possesses strong convictions and, unlike most politicians today, is unabashed about sticking to what he believes is best for the country with little or no regard for opinion polls or GOP orthodoxy. Generally, those are qualities I respect. So I’m reserving judgment until I can learn more about what makes the man tick. Perhaps there’s more to John McCain than I first thought.

This is a Patriot’s Journey post. You may also enjoy visiting the other journeyers: Drumwaster, Larry at The Bastage, the folks at The Line Is Here and Shortbus from The Edge of Reason…