John McCain doesn't know what the price of gasoline is. His wife admits that the only way traveling around her home state of Arizona is by private plane.
So when Barack Obama suggested that regular car maintenance and properly inflated tires could save more gasoline than offshore drilling could generate, the response of the McBush campaign was to mock Obama and in turn, try to sell tire gauges at about 25 times their cost to Republican fellow travelers.
My question to the McBush's is this: Who do you have selling these tire gauges? Haliburton?
"Today, I'm asking for your help in putting Senator Obama's 'tire gauge' energy policy to the test,' McCain campaign manager Rick Davis wrote to potential donors. "With an immediate donation of $25 or more, we will send you an 'Obama Energy Plan' tire pressure gauge. Will simply inflating your tires reduce the financial burden of high gas prices on your wallet?"
The dripping sarcasm of the McBush campaign undermines advice that was offered by officials in the Bush Administration, NASCAR, AAA, and virtually anyone that has knowledge of how automobiles actually work. Naturally that would exclude McCain and his wife since neither drive and prefer to travel in private planes because pumping gas and driving is beneath them.
"And while the McCain team may is busy amusing themselves, the fact is that the idea they’re attacking is supported by, among others, top McCain surrogate Joe Lieberman, conference call host Mike Rogers, Governors Charlie Crist and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Department of Energy, and NASCAR — all of whom have urged Americans to help save energy by minding tire pressure," the Obama team continued in the email. "But hey, who ever let the facts — or supporters’ positions — get in the way of a political attack? Aboard the Low Road Express, that’s no problem at all."
The factually challenged McBush and other Republicans showed their total fealty for their petroleum overlords, who coincidently have recently pumped (pun INTENDED) more than $2 million in contributions to John W. McBush, including a maximum donation of $28,500 each from a Queens, NY couple that would represent about half of their annual income. She is a secretary for Hess Oil and her husband earns around $50K a year working for Amtrak.
This is what Time Magazinehad to say about the hot air from the McBush campaign:
But who's really out of touch? The Bush Administration estimates that expanded offshore drilling could increase oil production by 200,000 bbl. per day by 2030. We use about 20 million bbl. per day, so that would meet about 1% of our demand two decades from now. Meanwhile, efficiency experts say that keeping tires inflated can improve gas mileage 3%, and regular maintenance can add another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone did, we could immediately reduce demand several percentage points. In other words: Obama is right.