Slamming The Door.

I was going to write on this yesterday, but I got bombarded with so many other more timely stories so I let it slide to today. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was campaigning for Senator McCain in Wisconsin on Monday and he gave a speech on energy at the UW Madison.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, often mentioned as a potential running mate for Sen. John McCain, promoted the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's energy policy and critiqued his rival's as he campaigned across Wisconsin on Monday.

Pawlenty said Democratic Sen. Barack Obama would "slam the door shut" on additional nuclear power and offshore drilling if elected president because of his conditional support for those options.

McCain's plans to open more U.S. coastal waters to exploration for oil and gas and to add 45 nuclear power plants by 2030 would do more reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil, Pawlenty said.

"Senator McCain's proposal is bold, it's aggressive, it's an all-of-the-above approach," Pawlenty said at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Senator Obama has taken a very minimalist, or none-of-the-above, or very-few-of-the-above approaches."

Senator McCain has stated many times that he would support an energy program along the lines of the American Energy Act which is currently bottled up by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. To be fair he was not always in favor of expanded drilling - however, given the current circumstances, he has realized that his prior plan will no longer work. Senator Obama also has come around to the realization that prior restrictions on domestic energy production can not longer work, however his conversion to the cause has been tepid at best. All of his speeches on the subject have been made with one foot firmly planted on EACH side of the debate.

On Sunday, Obama accused McCain of dropping his longstanding opposition to offshore drilling in recent months only because he saw it was a popular position in polls. The Illinois senator has said he could accept some additional drilling -- but only as part of a comprehensive energy package.

To be fair Senator Obama - Senator McCain at least made the change before the AEA debate got "popular". The same can not be said of you. Your policy shift was made in just the last two weeks when it became overwhelmingly apparent that the American people wanted more domestic energy production and they wanted it NOW!

Obama also has said nuclear energy would be on the table if he's elected.

Pawlenty said Obama's positions would be a roadblock to increasing the nation's energy supply. "I personally believe that if Barack Obama gets elected, he will slam the door shut on these options," he said. "If Senator McCain is elected, he will open the door to these options and allow our energy supply to be increased and take some of the pressure off our energy crisis in the country."

To be fair to both Senators, I am issuing a challenge. Even though the discharge petition does not apply to the Senate - PUT YOUR NAME ON THE PETITION. Show the American people that you mean what you say. Tell Speaker Pelosi that it is time for a real American Energy plan - one that will enrich the American people and not just her family and the businesses SHE has money invested in. Let the House debate and amend the American Energy Act TODAY.

Sign the Petition. Show the American people that you really mean what you say!