Well, Aren't They All?

Obama Camp Closely Linked With Ethanol

Well, aren't they all? I've never worked a campaign that didn't involve some close linkage with ethanol! It's one of the sacred fuels of politics, after all. Seems as if I'm missing something here. Maybe I'd better dig deeper....

Mr. Obama is running as a reformer who is seeking to reduce the influence of special interests. But like any other politician, he has powerful constituencies that help shape his views. And when it comes to domestic ethanol, almost all of which is made from corn, he also has advisers and prominent supporters with close ties to the industry at a time when energy policy is a point of sharp contrast between the parties and their presidential candidates.

...Ethanol is one area in which Mr. Obama strongly disagrees with his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain of Arizona. While both presidential candidates emphasize the need for the United States to achieve “energy security” while also slowing down the carbon emissions that are believed to contribute to global warming, they offer sharply different visions of the role that ethanol, which can be made from a variety of organic materials, should play in those efforts.

Well, yes, it can be made "from a variety organic materials," but I believe we're talking about ethanol made from actual foodstocks here, and not the other kind. That's not exactly the linkage I first envisioned! Obama, it seems, favors the current subsidies for ethanol as a motor vehicle fuel, while McCain favors eliminating those domestic subsidies.

Now, I'm all in favor of ethanol subsidies--just not for ethanol as motor vehicle fuel! I'm pretty sure Bluto agrees, and there's been some miscommunication....