Morning Update: Democratic Energy in Vegas
As the Michigan primary results came in Tuesday night, top-tier Democratic candidates participated in an NBC News debate in Las Vegas.
Much of the debate focused on questions of the economy. Clinton and Edwards both said sovereign wealth funds should be more “transparent.” Obama said foreign companies have been able to purchase U.S. financial institutions due to a lack of an effective U.S. energy policy. Increased use of alternative energy would “make a substantial difference in our balance of payments, and that would make a substantial difference in terms of their capacity to purchase our assets,” he said.
Of President Bush’s trip to the Middle East, Clinton said it is “pathetic” that Bush is “begging the Saudis and others to drop the price of oil.”
In a change from the norm, candidates were permitted to ask questions of each other during the debate. Clinton asked Obama to cosponsor legislation to “rein in” Bush’s policy in the Middle East. Obama said they can “work on this.”
Iraq: In a seeming shift of position from a September debate in which neither Clinton, Edwards or Obama would pledge to have all troops out of Iraq by 2013, all three candidates said they plan to have troops out of Iraq by 2009 in Tuesday night’s debate. Still, Obama said, some troops would have to remain to protect the U.S. embassy, American civilians, and to continue “humanitarian activity.”
Obama also asked Edwards, who has often said he would remove all combat troops from Iraq his first year as president, if he would “go after terrorist bases inside of Iraq if they should form, in which case there would potentially be a combat aspect to that.”
Edwards said said a presence of U.S. troops in Iraq would be equated with continued occupation, but said he would keep a “quick reaction” force in Kuwait. Obama seemed to agree that “[i]f it is appropriate for us to keep that strike force outside of Iraq, then that obviously would be preferable.”
Yucca Mountain: All three candidates said they would end nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain, in Nevada. Clinton said one of Obama’s main financial supporters, the Exelon Corporation, “has spent millions of dollars trying to make Yucca Mountain the waste depository,” and said Edwards “was in favor of it twice when he voted to override President Clinton’s veto and then voted for it again.” Still, Obama said, “I’ve never supported Yucca Mountain.” Edwards attributed his apparent change of position to scientific information and “forged documents that have been revealed since that time.”
Energy: Edwards also seized on the question to point out a distinction between himself and his opponents on nuclear power. He criticized Clinton and Obama for not coming out strongly against increased nuclear power, and said nuclear plants are “dangerous, they’re great terrorist targets and they’re extraordinarily expensive.” He also called for a “moratorium” on building new coal-fired plants.
Obama said he would institute a cap and trade system on emissions, and said nuclear energy will be “off the table” if it ” can’t meet the rigors of the marketplace.”
Clinton touted her “strategic energy fund,” which she says would remove $50 billion in tax subsidies from the gas and oil industry, and use it to invest in “clean, renewable energy.”
