Posted on Monday, August 4th, 2008 by Joanna Klonsky
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) recast his energy plan on Monday in a major speech (PDF) in Lansing, Michigan. Obama said his “New Energy for America” plan includes measures to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and confront the problem of climate change.
- Under the plan, Obama would implement a windfall profits tax on oil companies and use the proceeds to provide a $1000 tax rebate for married couples and a $500 tax rebate for individuals. Those rebates would “offset the entire increase in gas prices for a working family over the next four months; or pay for the entire increase in winter heating bills for a typical family in a cold‐weather state,” Obama said.
- In an apparent shift of position, Obama said the United States should sell 70 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve “for less expensive crude, which in the past has lowered gas prices within two weeks.” In July, Obama said he did not believe the United States should use that reserve supply.
- The plan also calls for a “Use it or Lose It” approach to existing oil company leases. Obama said he will tell oil companies to drill on the 68 million acres “they currently have access to but haven’t touched.” If they do not use those areas, “we should require them to give up their leases to someone who will,” he said.
- Obama briefly mentioned the use of nuclear energy, pledging to “find safer ways to use nuclear power and store nuclear waste.” The energy plan says Obama will “develop requirements to ensure that the waste stored at current reactor sites is contained using the most advanced” technology available.
Posted in Climate Change, Energy Policy, General Election | 0 Comments »
Posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 by Joanna Klonsky
In a major speech Thursday at Berlin’s Victory Column, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) recounted the historic relationship between the United States and Europe and said the “burdens of global citizenship” will continue to bind the two powers together. A “true partnership” between Europe and the United States will require “sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of progress and peace,” Obama said.
- Obama called on Europe to provide resources to the war in Afghanistan, saying both the United States and Germany have a “stake in seeing that NATO’s first mission beyond Europe’s borders is a success.”
- Obama also said it is time “renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons.” He called for a reduction in nuclear arsenals and said all loose nuclear materials must be secured.
- Obama briefly discussed free trade, saying the United States and Europe should “build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably.”
- Obama called for Europe and the United States to “come together to save this planet” and to reduce carbon emissions.
- He also said Europe and the United States must stand together in “sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions.” He also urged support for Lebanon in its quest for democracy, and for “the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Climate Change, Europe, General Election, Palestinian-Israeli | 0 Comments »
Posted on Saturday, June 7th, 2008 by Joanna Klonsky
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) suspended her candidacy for the Democratic nomination
June 7 . Clinton, who had advanced farther than any woman presidential candidate in U.S. history, sought throughout the campaign season to distinguish her foreign policy agenda from that of her main opponent, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL).
In a concession speech Saturday, Clinton endorsed Obama and urged her supporters to work for his election.
Here is a review of Clinton’s key foreign policy positions:
- Clinton said she would end the war in Iraq. Although she voted in favor of the 2002 Senate resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq, she has since become critical of the war, opposing the troop surge and the use of private military contractors there. Clinton’s plan to end the war included a phased redeployment of troops beginning within the first 60 days of her administration. She also said she would keep “small, elite strike forces” in Iraq “to engage in targeted operations against al-Qaeda.”
- Clinton said she would open a diplomatic channel with Iran upon taking office, but also warned the country about its aggression toward Israel, saying in April 2008 that the United States would “totally obliterate” Iran if it were to “foolishly consider launching an attack on Israel” under her presidency. Clinton also received criticism from her Democratic opponents for her September 2007 vote in favor of the Kyl-Lieberman amendment, which labeled the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization.
- Clinton promised to renegotiate NAFTA to improve the trade deal’s labor and environmental protections. She planned to implement a “time out” on new trade deals during her first months as president so she could “assess their impact before going forward.” Clinton also said she would crack down on China’s “unfair trade practices,” including the revaluation of the yuan.
- Clinton said she would maintain the U.S. embargo on Cuba and would pressure the Cuban government to release political prisoners and become more democratic.
- Clinton planned to institute a cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions and create a $50 billion “Strategic Energy Fund,” funded in part by oil companies, to invest in alternative energy. She also said she would create a “green collar” jobs program.
- Clinton said she would visit Africa during her first term, if elected. She called for a no-fly zone over Darfur, Sudan, but said she would not send U.S. troops to stop the mass killings there. Clinton signed a statement in May 2008 saying the Khartoum regime was “chiefly responsible” for the violence in Darfur and demanding that it adhere to the standards of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
Posted in Africa, Climate Change, Cuba, General Election, Iran, Iraq, Palestinian-Israeli, Trade | 0 Comments »
Posted on Friday, June 6th, 2008 by campaign2008
“We can’t afford more of the same timid politics when the future of our planet is at stake. We are already breaking records with the intensity of our storms, the number of fores
t fires, and the periods of drought. By 2050, famine could force more than 250 million from their homes. And if we do nothing, sea levels will rise high enough to swallow large portions of every coastal city and town.”
–Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), in a statement Friday on the climate change bill blocked in the Senate by Republicans (AFP).
Posted in Climate Change, General Election, Quote of the Day | 0 Comments »
Posted on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 by campaign2008
In a new interview, the executive secretary of the UN Framework on Climate Change Convention, Yvo de Boer, tells CFR.org’s Toni Johnson that “intelligent financial engineering” is the key to getting agreement between developed and developing worlds on limiting carbon emissions.
In other comments, not included in the online interview, de Boer has the following to say about the U.S. presidential candidates and climate change:
First of all, what I find very encouraging is that all three of the presidential candidates have climate change high on their agenda and show ambition that they want to take this topic forward. What I also find encouraging is that there are a lot of legislative proposals before the U.S. Senate and Congress at the moment that point in the direction of a cap-and-trade regime, which would be ideally suited to a broader international cooperation.
We’re sort of in the rare comfortable position that whoever wins the presidential election in the United States will deliver a stronger position on climate change.
Posted in Climate Change, General Election | 0 Comments »
Posted on Thursday, May 15th, 2008 by campaign2008
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) released a plan (PDF) to strengthen domestic manufacturing Wednesday. The plan includes the creation of a $150 billion Clean Technologies Deployment Venture Capital Fund, which would “advance clean energy and create green manufacturing jobs in the United States.” He also reiterated his commitment to “crack down” on Chinese market manipulation.
A report from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities concludes that a cap-and-trade system that auctions carbon allowances would allow the government to “reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in a way that does not increase poverty or otherwise harm low-income households and is fiscally responsible.” Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) all have climate change policy plans that include auctioning carbon permits.
An amendment backed by McCain (R-AZ) that would give veterans additional assistance for higher education was blocked in Senate on Wednesday, the Hill reports.
Posted in Climate Change, General Election, Military, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 by campaign2008
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) issued a statement saying the United States must convey to Myanmar’s leaders that the international community “will hold them responsible” if they prevent aid from reaching those in need.
Climate change: Both Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama and responded to Sen. John McCain’s speech on climate change Monday. Read Clinton’s response here, and Obama’s here.
Israel: In an interview with the Atlantic published Monday, Obama said the idea of a Jewish state is “fundamentally just,” and said his position on Hamas is “indistinguishable” from the positions of his opponents.
Posted in Climate Change, General Election, Morning Update, Palestinian-Israeli | 0 Comments »
Posted on Monday, May 12th, 2008 by campaign2008
“In my approach to global climate-control efforts, we will apply the principle of equal treatment. We will apply the same environmental standards to industries in China, India, and elsewhere that we apply to our own industries. And if industrializing countries seek an economic advantage by evading those standards, I would work with the European Union and other like-minded governments that plan to address the global warming problem to develop effective diplomacy, effect a transfer of technology, or other means to engage those countries that decline to enact a similar cap.”
–Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), in a speech Monday on climate change policy.
Posted in Climate Change, General Election, Quote of the Day | 1 Comment »
Posted on Monday, May 12th, 2008 by campaign2008
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will give a speech on climate change policy Monday in Portland, Oregon, in which he will call for a cap-and-trade system “to change the dynamic of our energy economy.” The Washington Post looks at McCain’s record on the environment.
In statements over the weekend, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) both expressed concern over the situation in Lebanon. Clinton said the United States should “support the sovereignty of the Lebanese government and the independence of Lebanon.”
Obama condemned Hezbollah’s “power grab” and said the United States should engage in a diplomatic push for electoral reform, “an end to the current corrupt patronage system, and the development of the economy that provides for a fair distribution of services, opportunities and employment.”
Posted in Climate Change, Energy Policy, General Election, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Friday, April 4th, 2008 by campaign2008
In a speech in Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) discussed his experience in the Vietnam War and how it has informed his approach to military matters. He called for increased commitment to public service from Americans, and said the United States must “prepare, across all levels of government, far better than we have done, to respond quickly and effectively to another terrorist attack or natural calamity.”
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) said Thursday he would like former Vice President Al Gore to hold a cabinet-level position (The Age) on climate change if he is elected.
Posted in Climate Change, General Election, Military, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
