Obama, McCain Dash for Votes in Final Push
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Democratic presidential candidate continues to hold lead over Republican rival, as they race through key states
Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama greets supporters as he arrives at a rally in Highland, Indiana, 31Oct 2008Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama continues to hold a lead over Republican John McCain, as the two candidates race through key states in a final push for support three days before the national election.Senator Obama is campaigning Saturday in Nevada, Colorado and Missouri. The three states voted Republican in the last two presidential elections, but the Democrat has made significant gains in all three. Surveys compiled by realclearpolitics.com show the Illinois senator has a solid lead in Nevada and Colorado. The race is a statistical dead heat in Missouri.Senator McCain is taking his fight for the White House to two important states - Pennsylvania and Virginia - in which polls show he is behind. In Virginia, McCain is defending reliably Republican turf. Pennsylvania has historically supported Democratic presidential candidates, but McCain needs that state to help win the race.McCain Saturday continued to target working class families, promising to keep taxes low, create jobs and strengthen the country's ailing economy.Polls show the country's financial turmoil has helped Obama pull ahead in the race. Surveys show the majority of respondents believe Obama is better able to handle the economic crisis.An average of nationwide opinion surveys shows Obama ahead of McCain by more than six percent. McCain also will appear today on the late night television comedy program Saturday Night Live. His vice presidential running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, is making stops in North Carolina and Florida.Obama appealed for votes in today's weekly Democratic radio address. His running mate, Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, is attending events in Indiana and Ohio.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
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Bush: National Election Example to the World
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US president encouraging all Americans to vote in national elections Tuesday and prove to world that self-government can endure
President BushU.S. President George Bush is encouraging all Americans to vote in
national elections Tuesday and prove to the world that self-government
can endure.During his weekly radio address Saturday, Mr. Bush
said U.S. elections serve as a model, especially to young democracies
such at Georgia, Ukraine, Afghanistan and Iraq.The president said Americans have demonstrated that for two centuries a free people have been able to choose their own leaders.He said the nation has flourished because of its commitment to trusting the wisdom of the people.President
Bush also called on voters to recall the sacrifices made by generations
of Americans in uniform to preserve America's way of life.
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Africans Watch US Elections With Great Interest
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Among those following presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama favored by far to defeat Republican John McCain in Tuesday's vote
Africans, like many people around the world, are watching with great interest as the United States prepares to choose its next president. Correspondent Scott Bobb has this sampling of what some on the continent are thinking about the election and what to expect from it. Sen. Barack Obama campaigns in Iowa, 31 Oct. 2008Among Africans following the U.S. presidential election, Democratic Party candidate Barack Obama is favored by far to defeat Republican Party candidate John McCain in Tuesday's vote.This is in part because of Obama's ancestral links to the continent. He was born to a Kenyan father and a Caucasian American mother.But a Kenyan law student in Nairobi, Simon Wekesa, says Obama's popularity also comes from his work in the African-American community in the United States."Obama is an American. He has been in America for a large part of his life," he said. "But since black Americans are still Africans and Obama has a direct link with Kenya."He says if the Democratic Party candidate loses it will be because of racial discrimination.But Kenyan political scientist Barack Muluka does not think racism is such a big factor."If it was a matter of race then Barak Obama would not even have gotten to where he is at this point," he said. "I think we want to [should] give the people of the United States of America a little bit more credit and credence than we seem to be doing."Senegalese civil servant Mamadou Diallo says Obama's popularity in Africa comes primarily from his concern for less fortunate people. He says if Obama wins it will not be because he is black or Negro but because he represents the poor which is the largest sector of American society.But a teacher in Senegal, Said Nyang, says an Obama election will send a major signal to the world. He says it will be a revolution because Obama will show other countries that it is possible for someone with black skin to change the world.One of the changes anticipated is a change in U.S. foreign policy, which has come under considerable criticism from abroad. Zimbabwean teacher Tafara Moyo says this will happen, no matter which candidate wins."This is primarily because the outgoing president, has had a very unpopular foreign policy which though premised on somewhat justifiable questions of 'war on terror', in their own words, it is clearly increasingly looking illegitimate and rash especially if you look at the hot spots in the world such as Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. Sen. John McCain in Dayton, Ohio, 27 Oct. 2008But a member of the Mauritanian parliament, Mohamed Babane, believes John McCain is the best choice because he will maintain stability at home and abroad. He says Mauritanians are very interested in the American election because if there is stability in America, there is stability in the world.Nouakchott University Professor Hadramy Ould Khatry disagrees."We think that Obama will be more peaceful, will be more moderate and will not have that Bush doctrine that would impose a more or less moralistic view on them," he said.Senegalese engineer Serge Malo says he hopes the next American president will do more to ease poverty on the continent. He says an Obama administration would press for more favorable international trade and development policies toward Africa.He says Africans are expecting a lot from Obama in regards to poverty and Africa because during the campaign he showed a strong humanitarian and social side.But Kenyan student Polly John does not think an Obama victory will have a big impact on Africa."Obama is not a president of Africa," she said. "So, in case he wins, he will probably concentrate on the United States although he will have those friendly contacts with Kenya."A university student in Senegal, Francis Gomez says an Obama victory would set an example for Africa's youth. She says it will show young Africans that only hard work pays, that they are wasting their time with useless wars and they should not sit in misery waiting for aid from the Americans, the Chinese or others.She concludes that Africans should believe in the African dream because they have enough intellectual and natural resources to bring about change. All that is needed, she says, is a change of attitude.
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British PM Urges Oil Rich Gulf States to Stabilize World Economy
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Gordon Brown left London Saturday for four-day tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates
Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown during question-and-answer session at Imperial College, in London, 27 Oct 2008 Prime Minister Gordon Brown says oil-rich countries in the Middle East should help stabilize the global financial system.Mr. Brown left London Saturday for a four-day tour of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. He hopes to persuade regional leaders to give extra funds to countries hit by the economic crisis.Before departing, Mr. Brown told reporters he thinks oil rich states will want to play a part in solving the global economic downturn. He said it is in no one's interest to have volatile oil prices.The British leader also has called on China to help ease the economic crisis.New economic reports from the U.S. Commerce Department show more evidence of a global slowdown.The reports, released Friday, said U.S. consumer spending suffered its sharpest decline in four years in September. Another report released this week showed the U.S. economy is nearing a recession.India's central bank cut its key interest rate Saturday, joining other central banks around the world in their efforts to ease the economic strain.Lower interest rates make it easier for businesses to borrow the money they need to buy new equipment, expand their operations and hire new people.Saudi Arabia's stock market, the largest in the Arab world, rose three percent at the start of the trading week Saturday.The financial crisis began in the United States when people failed to pay back billions of dollars worth of home loans. Without that money, banks had trouble loaning to companies that keep the U.S. economy running. Several major U.S. financial institutions collapsed, triggering a plunge in world stock markets.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
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US Forces Kill 19 Militants in Eastern Afghanistan Raids
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Military says troops conducting several raids targeting al-Qaida, Taliban and Haqqani militant networks
The U.S. military in Afghanistan says troops conducting several raids
targeting al-Qaida, Taliban and Haqqani militant networks have killed
19 fighters. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from neighboring Pakistan
that there are also news reports that the head of British special
forces in Afghanistan has resigned after complaining of a lack of
equipment. U.S. soldiers of the Third Platoon Delta Company 1-26 stand guard during a patrol in Narang district near Pakistani border in Kunar province eastern Afghanistan, 01 Nov 2008The U.S. military has been engaged in heavy
fighting in eastern Afghanistan for months against groups of Afghan and
Pakistani militants as well as foreign fighters. Lieutenant Commander Walter Matthews says one of Friday's raids targeted a compound of an al-Qaida leader. "In
Dara Noor District, coalition forces targeted a known al-Qaida leader,
believed to facilitate the movement of foreign fighters and weapons
into Kunar province," he said. "The al-Qaida leader is also believed to
be in contact with other militants in the region, coordinating attacks
against coalition forces and innocent civilians."The military did not say if the leader was killed during the raid, but said troops killed one armed woman during the operation. Local officials say they are looking into reports that some civilians were killed during the operation. Other
operations targeted the so-called Haqqani network, a group of militants
led by Jalauddin Haqqani, a long-time Afghan guerrilla commander who
U.S. officials have alleged has ties to al-Qaida militants and
Pakistani intelligence agents. Meanwhile, a British newspaper
says the head of the country's elite special forces in Afghanistan has
abruptly resigned because of a lack of armored vehicles for his troops.
The Daily Telegraph reported Major Sebastian Morely claimed The
British Defense Ministry ignored his warnings that the military's
lightly armored "Snatch Land Rovers" are too vulnerable for the Afghan
mission. The major blamed the deaths of four troops on what he called
the ministry's "chronic underinvestment." The Defense Ministry
responded that officials are focused on providing vehicles to protect
troops from "ever-shifting threats posed by the enemy."
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Gates Calls for More Coherent Afghan Strategy
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US secretary of defense believes General David Petraeus can help provide such approach
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the United States and its allies need a more coherent strategy in Afghanistan. And he believes General David Petraeus, who took command of U.S. forces throughout the Middle East and Central Asia on Friday, can help provide such an approach. VOA's Al Pessin reports from Washington.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates (left) at change of command ceremony with Gen. David Petraeus, 31 Oct 2008With violence down in Iraq, much of the Pentagon's attention is shifting to Afghanistan where the Taliban, al-Qaida and associated groups have increased their attacks in recent months. That is why Secretary Gates moved his successful Iraq commander, General Petraeus, to U.S. Central Command, where he will have ultimate responsibility for both wars.
After attending the general's change of command ceremony in Florida, Secretary Gates told reporters on his aircraft he believes the international effort in Afghanistan needs a better overall approach. "I think that the military strategy throughout Afghanistan and with our coalition partners needs greater coherence. And I think General Petraeus can help General McKiernan in doing that."
General David McKiernan is the top U.S. commander in Kabul, and he also answers to the NATO command, whose countries have thousands of troops working alongside U.S. and Afghan forces. The complex structure makes the job of developing and implementing a coherent strategy particularly difficult. Past commanders have tried, with limited success. But Secretary Gates believes General Petraeus, who is widely credited with turning around the war in Iraq, is the right man to try again.
"While the two wars we're in are very different, the need to integrate military and civilian is a common theme, and the need to be as inclusive as possible in trying to bring people together. And so I think he brings a broad strategic understanding of the challenges that we face."
Secretary Gates also called for the expansion of the Afghan army, perhaps beyond the 134-thousand already agreed to. It is now about half that size. Gates said all parties involved agree on the need to move as quickly as possible to expand the Afghan forces. He said the fight, "needs to be an Afghan war, not an American war and not a NATO war."
Gen. David Petraeus, left, shakes hands with outgoing head U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey in Tampa, Fla., 31 Oct. 2008 General Petraeus called for a comprehensive approach to the Afghan conflict as he took command, and he has said some principles he used in Iraq will apply, including increasing security, and that he will need more U.S. troops to do the job. Gates confirmed Friday he has approved sending three more brigades and their support forces, well over ten thousand troops. But they will not be available until the new administration takes office in January.
Gates spent more than a year trying to persuade NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan, but he said Friday he does not expect the allies to do much more than they have already done, requiring the further increase in U.S. troops. There are already 32,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, along with about 37,000 from other NATO countries, but many of the allied troops operate under their own special restrictions.
Petraeus has put together a 200-member team to review the Afghanistan strategy and he is expected to travel to the region almost immediately. His review, along with one being done at the Pentagon and another at the White House, should all be ready for the new president to review next year. Petraeus and the other U.S. military commanders will remain in place when the political leadership changes.
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Zambia Opposition Leader Sata's Lead Narrows as Vote Count Continues
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Elections were called following death in August of late President Levy Mwanawasa from stroke
In Zambia, opposition leader Michel Sata is maintaining a slim lead over rival, Acting President Rupiah Banda, as vote tabulation continues from Thursday's presidential election. With more than three-fourths of the vote counted, Sata has 40 percent of the vote while Mr. Banda has 38 percent. VOA's Scott Bobb reports from our bureau in Dakar.Zambia's main opposition leader of the Patriotic Front, Michael Sata talks to the media after casting his vote in Lusaka, 30 Oct 2008Veteran opposition leader Michael Sata sprang into an early lead as the first election returns came in from his strongholds in urban areas and Zambia's mining zones.However, acting president Rupiah Banda gradually gained ground as results began to come in from rural areas where his support is greatest.The elections were called following the death in August of the late President Levy Mwanawasa from a stroke.An analyst with South Africa's Institute for Security Studies, Judy Smith-Hohn, says as a result the campaign was short though heated."It's been a very highly contested election," she said. "They have had a very short time to actually prepare for it. So it's hard to tell what the tendencies, how it would have been if they had had a few months' chance to actually get the battle going."Mr. Banda campaigned pledging to continue Mr. Mwanawasa's pro-business and corruption fighting policies. These are credited for taming inflation and bringing five percent annual economic growth.Sata campaigned on the need for change saying that the economic gains had not reached the poor.Voter turnout was low for the election. Some observers say this was because of the short time available to prepare voters. Others say it was because the winner will only serve two years, the time remaining in Mr. Mwanawasa's term.The opposition has complained of rigging. But election officials maintain that the vote was free and fair.In the elections two years ago, Sata complained of rigging after he was narrowly defeated by Mr. Mwanawasa. However, the results were eventually upheld.
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Thousands of Congolese Refugees Flee to Uganda, Rwanda
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Rebel forces loyal to renegade leader Laurent Nkundu have made serious inroads into territory previously held by army of President Joseph Kabila around eastern town of Goma
The UN refugee agency reports thousands of Congolese refugees have fled
to Uganda and Rwanda in the past few days seeking safety from
escalating fighting in North Kivu province. Rebel forces loyal to
renegade leader Laurent Nkundu have made serious inroads into
territory previously held by the Congolese army of President Joseph
Kabila around the eastern town of Goma. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA
from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.Internally Displaced People (IDP) leave Goma in direction to the improvised IDP's camp in Kibati, about 25 kilometers north of the provincial capital of Goma, 31 Oct 2008The UN refugee agency reports
more than 8,500 Congolese refugees have crossed the
border into Uganda since the latest round of fighting started in
August - some 2,500 of them over the past few days. UN refugee
spokesman, Ron Redmond, says many of the refugees said they had walked
for more than 20 hours from the Rugarama area in Congo. This is about
17 kilometers from the Uganda border.He says most of the
Congolese refugees in Uganda are dispersed in a dozen villages along
the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo."They are
accommodated by host families, friends and relatives," said Redmond.
"They are in fairly good condition. But, we fear that the situation
could soon deteriorate if medical, water and sanitation facilities are
unable to cope with rapidly increasing needs. Logistics are
difficult. It is a very remote area. In addition, the food supplies
in that part of Uganda generally depend on local imports from DRC."Meanwhile,
Redmond says some 1,200 other Congolese refugees, who fled to Rwanda
earlier in the week, were staying in a school in Gisenyi. He says they
did not want to be registered by UNHCR and transported to the transit
center. He says many of the refugees have since returned to
Goma to check on their properties and families left behind. Many
others, he says, have moved in with relatives in Gisenyi or crossed the
border to Uganda.Redmond says the UNHCR is going to have to set up new sites to accommodate the growing number of refugees and displaced people."It
is clear we are going to require more resources, more funding to cope
with the new needs," he said. "Working with the UN system and our
partners in the UN as well as NGO partners, we are going to need to
rapidly distribute tarpaulins, blankets, sleeping mats, jerry cans,
buckets, mosquito nets. All of the aid items that are absolutely
essential in a situation like this where people have fled with
nothing." The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio
Guterres, is renewing his appeal to all sides in the conflict to respect
humanitarian principles and to ensure the safety of civilians and those
trying to help them.He says hundreds of thousands of people who have already suffered far too much are in danger and in desperate need of help.The
UNHCR reports more than a quarter of a million people have fled their
homes since August. Altogether, it estimates there are more than one
million internally displaced people in North Kivu.
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US Congress Hears Views on Domestic Impacts of Recession
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Lawmakers hear pros and cons of new economic stimulus package for US economy
Days before next Tuesday's U.S. presidential and congressional election, U.S. lawmakers heard from economists and other experts about the impact of recession on Americans, and pros and cons of a new economic stimulus package for the U.S. economy. VOA's Dan Robinson reports, majority Democrats are expected to call Congress back into session in mid-November to focus on the U.S. financial crisis and possible new legislation aimed at stimulating the U.S. economy.
This past week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pointed to data showing a decline in U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the third quarter of 2008, and an increase in the numbers of Americans applying for unemployment benefits, saying this underscores the need for what she called a fiscally responsible stimulus plan.
Trader on New York Stock Exchange (file)Economists and other experts offered projections about just how bad the economic downturn, which many said constitutes a recession, may be.
Appearing before the bipartisan Joint Economic Committee, J. Steven Landefeld, Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, says whether it's called a recession or not, the economy is in a dramatic slowdown:
"We all know there has been a huge loss of consumer wealth during this period. Household's disposable income share going to energy has certainly gone up considerably over time and the economy is growing at a rate too slow to generate new jobs sufficient to keep up with labor force growth, population growth, and growth in productivity," he said.
Nuriel Rubini, a former U.S. treasury department official now at New York University, flatly calls it a recession, and predicts it will last 18 and possibly as long as 24 months, involving a cumulative decline in economic output of more than four percent, the worst since World War II.
Rubini urges Congress to act on a second fiscal stimulus of at least 300 billion dollars, saying that without support for Main Street [average Americans], government steps to support financial markets could be undone:
"This action has to be taken right away and soon. We cannot wait until the next Congress in February because three months from now the collapse of spending, consumption and investments will be so sharp that the economic contractions could become even more severe," he said.
Richard Vedder, Professor of Economics at Ohio University and a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute is concerned that an overly-zealous Congress, as he puts it, will craft legislation that could have adverse effects and questions where the money will come from. "In a financially-stressed situation, we're talking about going out and borrowing to add 300 or 400 billion on to what we are already doing, the better part of at trillion dollars, seven or eight percent of GDP. I think that is a dangerous and somewhat fiscally irresponsible thing to do and I think in the long-run it will inspire a decline in confidence and will lead to inflationary expectations soaring."
Former International Monetary Fund research director Simon Johnson, now with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, warns of unprecedented global dimensions from a U.S. recession.
He urges Congress to act quickly on a package of around 450-billion dollars, to include extending unemployment benefits, job re-training, student and small business loans, and infrastructure projects. "I think we probably have a month or perhaps two months to really see the direction of the economy. I would agree completely with people who think that now is the time to prepare a large fiscal stimulus."
In the House Ways & Means Committee, state governors, a city mayor, and state and local officials called for another government stimulus plan.
New York Governor David Paterson said his state is among 25 U.S. states facing huge deficits. "There are 25 states in deficit, totaling more than $48 billion of debt. Their projections for 2010 are spiked upward incredibly. There will be 39 states in deficit and the amounts owed total over $105 billion."
Among more dire warnings, Robert Greenstein, of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, spoke of potential sharp increases in poverty, with Americans facing what he calls holes in the social safety that did not exist during previous deep recessions in the 1970's and 1980's: "I think we are facing a growing prospect of levels of destitution, not just poverty, destitution, severe hardship and increases in homelessness that we haven't seen in several decades," he said.
Democratic Representative Charlie Rangel, chairman of the Ways & Means panel, says Democrats and Republicans should work together when Congress returns after the election to help with the economy. "We have to be prepared to put together that will indeed be bipartisan. Quite frankly I don't think that should be very difficult. When someone loses their job, their health insurance, can't pay the mortgage, finds himself not being able to get credit, no one asks whether they are a Republican or whether they are Democrat."
Republicans such as Representative Jim McRery share concerns about the widespread impacts of recession, but oppose any package that would have little chance of winning congressional and presidential approval. "It would do us little good to draft a package like that if it stands little chance of passing a closely-divided Senate or getting signed by the president," he said.
The White House has so far expressed resistance, at least in public, to any new measure containing the kind of provisions and level of spending Democrats are likely to include.
This means Democrats would have to wait until next year and a new congressional session, to work with either Senator Barack Obama or Senator John McCain as president, on the next stage of efforts to help the economy.
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Energy Experts Question Rhetoric of Both Candidates in Presidential Election
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Experts see promise in some proposals set forth by campaigns, but are less enthused about slogans
One of the more contentious issues in this year's U.S. presidential election has been energy, with Democratic candidate Barack Obama favoring more alternative energy development and criticizing oil companies earning record profits. Republican candidate John McCain has called for more development of domestic oil and gas resources with the slogan "Drill, Baby, Drill." Energy experts see promise in some proposals set forth by the campaigns, but are less enthused about the slogans. VOA's Greg Flakus has more from Houston.
Ken MedlockAlthough the financial crisis has become the dominant issue in this year's election, concern about high energy costs have not disappeared. Fuel prices remain higher than they were four years ago and many people expect them to head back to recent peaks once the economy rebounds.
Barack Obama has called for more government investment in alternative energy, a windfall profits tax on oil companies and, while he has said he would "look at" possibly opening more U.S. coastal areas to exploration and drilling, he has criticized oil companies for not fully using leases they already have.
John McCain favors opening areas for development in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts where drilling has been banned for the past 30 years. He also favors expansion of nuclear energy as well as other alternatives.
Ken Medlock, who teaches energy economics at Rice University, says both candidates have some good ideas, but he says their simplified rhetoric does little to advance the debate.
For example, he notes that Obama's call for energy companies to use leases they currently hold or give them up amounts to an attack on prudent business decisions by those companies. "You may think something is there and once you actually do your due diligence (research), you may figure out that it is not a commercial quantity of oil and so you simply do not develop it."
Medlock says companies hold on to these leases so that they might develop them once operating costs come down or new technologies come along.
Medlock also says Obama's call for a windfall profits tax on oil companies could backfire and leave consumers paying even more at the fuel pump. "If you do anything to have a negative impact on investment, the level of investment, at the end of the day that works back to us because prices go up because there is less supply," he said.
Medlock also finds unrealistic rhetoric in the McCain campaign. He says the call for more drilling off coastal areas is premature since no one really knows if there are commercially exploitable deposits there or not.
"If nothing is there, then nobody is going to drill. People do not drill wells just for the sake of drilling wells. But there is the off chance that we might find a massive deposit somewhere along one of the those places along one of those places along the east coast or the eastern Gulf of Mexico that we simply did not know was there. The point is 'let's reduce uncertainty.' Unfortunately, the 'Drill, Baby, Drill' slogan debases the whole argument," he said.
Medlock says what is needed is a lifting of the ban on exploration to allow an assessment of what resources may be out there.
Medlock says both campaigns talk of a bright future based on alternative energy, but there are costs involved that they often do not take into account. The candidates also favor reducing or even eliminating demand for foreign oil. But Medlock notes that buying imported oil is cheaper than developing some of the resources available domestically or creating new infrastructure to accommodate alternative energy like electricity or compressed natural gas to power transportation.
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