by Jeffrey Todd

Created on: February 03, 2007   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

The presidential race for 2008 is presently in its infancy as we see many new candidates and some retreads announcing their intentions. For the most part, the early days are filled with sound bites, present administration criticism and generalized agendas. Like the smiling potential Miss America contestants announcing their world peace agendas to the judges, they take the center stage with a talking head and proclaim their qualifications. Generalities, for the most part, are a good thing for our 30-second attention span, but as the trail narrows and the dust begins to fly, some people will actually demand some specific details on issues they warrant as important. Energy will be high on my list.

In the past, HRC has taken the middle road, touting a balanced energy policy that will lead us closer to energy independence while at the same time protecting our air quality. Her husband's administration took the middle road but did fire a few shots across the bow of some behemoth utility companies burning coal.

Presently, her press releases have begun to mirror popular opinion and stately newspaper headlines. She wants cleaner, reliable, renewable energy that includes cleaner coal, hydrogen fuel cells, and responsible recovery of oil and gas resources that do not include the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. She is for improving our national electric transmission grid, (no more New York blackout babies), and research to improve energy efficient technologies. With the news release of Exxon Mobil's earnings report, she stated that tax breaks for big oil should be eliminated and use the money to create a "Strategic Energy Fund". Inline with the UN's findings on Global Warming, she states, "Unless we act to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, the planet will continue to warm over the next century". So far, she is looking good on energy, but she needs to fine-tune a few areas.

First leg on the map. Criticize President Bush's attempts to weaken portions of the Clean Air Act, reducing targets set forth many years before he came into office. Voice a stronger alignment with Senate Bill 309. This bill amends the Clean Air Act, sets forth a schedule to reduce carbon emissions, and is referred to as the "Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act". This critical evaluation of the Bush administration should not include his perceived alignment with big oil. That attack will get you mired in an issue that never ends, and no one wins. The better maneuver is to face

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