WOODBRIDGE, VA — Does Joe Biden’s support for coal depend on who he’s talking to?

In the coal country of Castlewood, VA on Saturday, Biden said that instead of John McCain’s tax breaks for oil companies, the United States should be investing billions in clean coal technology. “We have enough coal to meet our needs domestically for the better part of the next 100 200 years,” Biden said. “That can free us from being dependent on foreign oil countries and at the same time not ruin the environment.”

But on the rope line after an event in Maumee, OH last week, Biden told an environmental activist who questioned why coal is necessary given clean, effective alternatives like wind and solar, “we’re not supporting clean coal.”

Biden continued that we should develop the technology here and sell it to places like China — which are building 2 coal fired plants a week and polluting their air and ours — but that we shouldn’t build any more plants in the United States. “No coal plants in America,” he said.

John McCain’s campaign, not surprisingly, prefers Biden’s rope line statement — and their candidate is already using it against him. In remarks today in Ohio, the Arizona Senator said of Obama, “his running mate here in Ohio recently said that they weren’t supporting clean coal either. And the fact is that their billions of dollars in hgher taxes would kill jobs here in Ohio. “

But Biden’s camp insists there’s no difference between the two positions - and that McCain knows better.

Spokesman David Wade says Biden’s claim that “we’re not supporting clean coal,” in response to the question, just meant that he’s not supporting it over other, cleaner alternatives. And as for that no more coal plants, Wade insists that Biden meant no more dirty plants — but that Biden favors building 5 clean coal plants in the US with carbon capture and sequestration technology.

“This is yet another false attack from a dishonorable campaign. Senator McCain knows that Senator Obama and Senator Biden support clean coal technology,” Wade said — touting the Obama-Biden plan that would invest $150 billion in clean energy technology, including coal.

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T. Boone Pickens, the former oil man turned energy crusader, has been actively promoting his plan to end our reliance on oil. Barack Obama has cited the Republican in his stump speeches to prove his point that we cannot drill our way out of the energy crisis. “Even Texas oil man Boone Pickens – Boone is not a Democrat - who’s calling for major new investments in alternative energy, has said, ‘this is one emergency we can’t drill our way out of,’” Obama said earlier this month in Michigan.

While most Americans have probably not heard the name T. Boone Pickens until recently, the wealthy man with his “Pickens Plan” has a national platform that has gotten him access to both presidential candidates. Friday Pickens met with Senator McCain and met with Senator Obama this morning in Reno.

In 2004, the same T. Boone Pickens helped fund the controversial Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, the group that managed to damage Senator John Kerry’s campaign in 2004, by questioning his service during the Vietnam War. The style of campaigning has been denounced by Democrats - including Barack Obama, who often referred to the tactic during the primary season

While the Democrat and the oil man agree on solving the energy crisis, but Pickens’ past dabbling in politics is likely to rub some Democrats the wrong way. “Senator how does it feel meeting with someone who tore down your democratic colleague in the last election?” a reporter asked (press were allowed in the room for the first few moments of the meeting).

Obama responded, “You know, he has a lot longer track record than that.  He has been doing - he is - you know - a legendary entrepreneur and there are a lot of things that I think we have to unify the country around. It is having an intelligent energy policy; everybody knows if we keep on going on the same track that we are going, that we are giving our wealth away.  We are funding both sides of the war on terror.   We are going to be over the long term putting enormous pressure on ordinary families here in America who just aren’t going to be able to afford you know, skyrocketing gasoline prices and home heating prices, so this is one of those issues that I think should unify the country and that is what we are going to be talking about,” Obama said as the press were escorted out of the room.

Pickens issued a statement following the meeting, saying that his was “a non-partisan campaign and that I will do everything in my power to work together with leaders who are willing to solve our immense energy problems which are ruining our economy and threatening our national security.”

Don’t expect Pickens to take up arms against the Democrat this time around. “It would be inappropriate for me to speak for Senator Obama. I have a real sense, however, that he was very engaged. He understands the issues and is interested and excited by the work we are doing to educate and involve the people of this great nation. As with any leader, he knows that developing real energy policy that will transform America for the better requires change and that change happens not just from the top down, but from the bottom up and that’s what we are doing with the Pickens Plan,” he concluded in his statement.

LIMA, OH– John McCain accused his Democratic rival of misleading the public Thursday, repeatedly referring to Obama’s “words” as empty and misleading when it comes to energy and the economy.

“The bottom line is that Senator Obama’s words, for all their eloquence and passion, don’t mean all that much. And that’s the problem in our nation’s capital today. It is not just the Bush Administration, and it’s not just the Democratic Congress,” McCain told more than 600 potential voters at a town hall meeting in central Ohio. “Washington is full of talented talkers, my friends. And unfortunately, on issues big and small, what Senator Obama says and what he does are often two different things.”

McCain then again took aim at Obama’s suggestion last week that properly inflating car tires could help save Americans significantly on energy.

“He actually thinks that raising taxes on oil is going to bring down the price at the pump. He is claiming that putting air in your tires is the equivalent is the equivalent of new offshore drilling. That is not an energy plan my friends, that is a public service announcement,” he said.

But during a media availability aboard his plane today before he heads on vacation Friday Obama said the tire pressure attack line proves Republicans lack solutions on energy and McCain is “misleading” Americans.

“I thought it was a good example of the fact that the other side’s not serious about real energy savings that can push down the price of gas, they’re interested in scoring political points…as we’re speaking truthfully about what we need to do to meet our challenges,” Obama told reporters aboard his plane.

McCain also stood his ground on voting against the 2005 Bush energy bill, stating that Obama may be “a little bit confused” since he is attacking the Republican for espousing Bush-like policies when it was Obama who voted for the bill.

“I spoke up against Congress and the administration and when they gave us an energy bill with more giveaways to big oil and really no solution to our energy problems,” McCain stated. “Senator Obama voted for that bill and its big oil giveaways. I know he hasn’t been in the senate that long but even in the real world voting for something means you support it and voting against something means you oppose it.”

Also one other minor note today. McCain scrapped one misleading figure he usually cites to slam Obama for increasing taxes on lower middle class Americans.

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done

Did we really expect her to avoid the spotlight? Paris Hilton is out with her first response to the “Celeb” ad the McCain campaign released last week in which the Republican attempted to compare Barack Obama to the hotel heiress.

Wearing a bikini and heels, Hilton thanks McCain (whom she calls “that wrinkly white-haired guy”) for the endorsement and declares her own candidacy in a video release on the web site funnyordie.com.

“I’m not from the olden days and I’m not promising change like that other guy. I’m just hot,” she says before delivering an unusually eloquent explanation of her energy plan, which she refers to as a “hybrid” of the two candidates’ plans. “I want America to know that I’m, like, totally ready to lead.”

Per usual, the always quick McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds is out with an immediate reaction from Arlington.

“It sounds like Paris Hilton supports John McCain’s ‘all of the above’ approach to America’s energy crisis - including both alternatives and drilling. Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan,” Bounds said in a statement

NEWPORT, MI — John McCain rebuked his Democratic rival for his opposition to the immediate construction of additional nuclear power plants during a visit to a Michigan plant Tuesday.

“Senator Obama has said that expanding our nuclear power plants quote ‘doesn’t make sense for America’…he also says no to nuclear storage and no to reprocessing. I couldn’t disagree more,” McCain said following a tour of the Enrico Fermi plant operated by Detroit Edison.

Responding to recent Obama attacks that he is too close to big oil because he has received more than $2.1 million in donations from the oil and gas industry during the campaign, McCain suggested that his opponent is actually the one who is in the pocket of those executives.

“I think he might be a little bit confused because when the energy bill came to the floor of the senate full of goodies and breaks for the oil companies I voted against it. Senator Obama voted for it. People care not only what you say but how you vote,” McCain added, referring to the 2005 White House energy bill that included tax breaks for the industry.

For his part, Obama responded ‘touchez’ to the McCain refrain that he is “Dr. No” when it comes to energy policy and defended his vote for the bill.

“He voted against fuel efficiency standards for cars, he opposed legislation to provide tax credits for more efficient cars, he voted against renewable sources of energy, against solar power, against wind power, against biofuels, against an energy bill that despite its flaws, represented the largest investment in renewable energy in the history of this country - he was Dr. No,” Obama told voters today in Ohio. He also defended his suggestion that Americans inflate their tires to the proper PSI to save on energy costs as accurate, saying of Republicans, “it’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant.”

The Obama campaign also responded to McCain’s consistent attack that Obama opposes nuclear power by noting that the Democrat supports additional nuclear plant construction, but only when decisions are made about a safer method of securing and disposing of nuclear waste.

“Barack Obama supports safe and secure nuclear energy…(and) it is unlikely that we can meet our aggressive climate goals if we eliminate nuclear power as an option. However, before an expansion of nuclear power is considered, Obama thinks key issues must be addressed including: security of nuclear fuel and waste, waste storage, and proliferation,” said Obama spokesman Bill Burton in a statement to reporters.

Yesterday the McCain campaign and Republicans gleefully taunted Barack Obama for advising a voter last week to make sure her tires were inflated properly to improve fuel efficiency. A McCain senior advisor even distributed actual tire gauges to reporters covering the McCain campaign - an effective strategy as images of the instrument emblazoned with “Obama’s Energy Plan” along the side hit the media.

The Obama team initially defended Obama’s remarks by sending emails out to reporters that quoted Charlie Crist (FL Gov and McCain veep contender), NASCAR’s website, and Bush’s own EPA for doling out the same advice.

Later, the Obama campaign admonished their McCain counterparts in an email. “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 statement read.

Today Barack Obama decided to fight back - and breathe new life into the story - by personally addressing the McCain camp’s clever gimmick at his Berea, Ohio, town hall meeting. “Let me make a point about efficiency, because my Republican opponents — they don’t’ like to talk about efficiency,” Obama began, recalling the town hall where a voter asked Obama what she could do personally to help increase her fuel efficiency. Obama admitted it was “simple” advice, but added he also has a substantial long term plan.

Referencing the “little tire gauges” the Republicans have been hawking, he incredulously continued, “They know they’re lying about what my energy plan is, but the other thing is they’re making fun of a step that every expert says would absolutely reduce our oil consumption by three to four percent. It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant. You know? They think it’s funny that they’re making fun of something that is actually true. They need to do their homework. Because this is serious business. Instead of running ads about Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, they should go talk to some energy experts and actually make a difference.”

Obama punctuated his rant as the crowd cheered. “I mean, c’mon. This is serious.”

At his big energy speech in Lansing today, Barack Obama likened John McCain to the Democrats’ villains-in-chief and accused the presumptive Republican nominee of trying to solve the country’s energy crisis with a drill. “Like George Bush and Dick Cheney before him, he sees more drilling as the answer to all of our energy problems, and like them, he’s found a receptive audience in the very same oil companies that have blocked our progress for so long,” Obama said as the crowd of supporters booed and hissed.

In between describing his plan to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil (read below the jump for Obama’s whole speech), Obama reinforced the message that the McCain camp is on the wrong side of the energy crisis, choosing to focus on the short term fixes like a gas tax holiday and drilling for more oil at home than trying to solve the bigger problem at hand.

To make this point, Obama cited oil man-turned energy problem solver T. Boone Pickens, who has recently launched an effort to contribute ideas for solutions to the energy crisis. “[John McCain] also knows that if we opened up and drilled on every single square inch of our land and our shores, we would still find only three percent of the world’s oil reserves.  Three percent for a country that uses 25% of the world’s oil.  Even Texas oil man Boone Pickens - Boone’s not a Democrat - who’s calling for major new investments in alternative energy, has said, ‘This is one emergency we can’t drill our way out of.’ That’s Boone Pickens, an oil man, made his money drilling,” Obama said.

Hours later, Pickens’ successful PR team sent out a statement from the oil man. “I’m strongly encouraged by Senator Obama’s speech on America’s energy future. Foreign oil is killing our economy and putting our nation at risk,” the statement reads. “When I started this campaign my goal was to make this the biggest issue in the coming election and the top priority to be addressed in the first hundred days of the next administration.  This issue is clearly moving up in the priority of political debate; Senator Obama’s statement is an indication that is what is indeed happening. I will continue to push this as a priority for the rest of the year.”

No word yet on whether the two men have spoken about the energy crisis.

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PHILADELPHIA, PA — The McCain campaign is urging voters to make sure their car tires are properly inflated to save gasoline but only half-heartedly.

Campaign adviser Mark Salter distributed tire pressure gauges labeled “Obama’s Energy Plan” to the press corps aboard the campaign plane this morning.

When Obama first suggested last week that Americans could save on energy costs and gasoline by making sure their tires are filled to the correct PSI, Republicans latched on to the remarks, and have not let go ever since. McCain campaign surrogates have been passing out tire gauges across the country during the last few days insisting that tire pressure amounts to the Democrat’s entire energy policy.

For his part, McCain said he agreed with Obama’s suggestion during a town hall Thursday but has also mocked the Democrat’s line as symbolic of his energy plan.

“We need oil drilling and we need it now offshore and we need it now. He has consistently opposed it. He has opposed nuclear power. He has opposed reprocessing. He has opposed storage. And the only thing I’ve heard him say is that we should inflate our tires. So he has no plan for addressing the energy challenges that we face,” McCain said Friday during a Panama City press conference.

Obama is announcing his own comprehensive plan today with a wide range of potential solutions to the nation’s energy crisis but don’t expect that to stop Camp McCain from hammering home the tire press suggestions over and over again for the next three months.

UPDATE–The McCain campaign is offering you your own Obama tire pressure gauge for a $25 donation. See the latest email to supporters from Campaign Manager Rick Davis below.

CAMPAIGN EMAIL:

McCain Team -

Americans across the country are feeling the effects of high gas prices and our need to expand domestic oil production.

John McCain says we need offshore oil drilling and we need it now. Senator Barack Obama has consistently opposed offshore drilling - calling it a “gimmick.” Senator Obama’s solution to high gas prices is telling Americans to make sure their tires are inflated.

Today, I’m asking for your help in putting Senator Obama’s “tire gauge” energy policy to the test. 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?

It’s clear Senator Obama has no plan to address the energy challenges we face as a nation. He has said no to offshore drilling, no to expanding domestic drilling and no to nuclear energy. He has no plan to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

John McCain is prepared to lead our country as president to break our dependence on foreign oil with real solutions. John McCain believes we should lift the federal ban on offshore drilling, enabling you to decide where we drill for oil.

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Comparing his Democratic rival to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, Sen. McCain is up with a punchy new ad in that questions Sen. Obama’s readiness for the Oval Office.

“He’s the biggest celebrity in the world. But is he ready to lead?” the announcer asks, as images of Spears, Hilton and Obama appear on the screen and the “Obama, Obama” chant from his Berlin speech plays in the background.

The spot, “Celeb,” which makes heavy use of the wide shots of the 200,000+ crowd from the Democrat’s speech in Germany last week, then goes on to rebuke Obama for his opposition to offshore drilling and willingness to raise taxes on a handful of energy sources.

“With gas prices soaring, Barack Obama says no to offshore drilling. And, says he’ll raise taxes on electricity. Higher taxes, more foreign oil, that’s the real Obama,” the announcer adds

The ad is going into the campaign’s regular rotation on national and will play in heavy rotation in 11 states in the Mountain West and Midwest.

UPDATE–Asked to respond to the ad today in Missouri, Obama’s campaign says they believe their Republican opponent is getting increasingly negative.

“You know, I don’t pay attention to John McCain’s ads, although I do notice he doesn’t seem to have anything to say very positive about himself. He seems to only be talking about me. You need to ask John McCain what he’s for and not just what he’s against,” Obama told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

BAKERSFIELD, CA– One week after he was forced to cancel an appearance on an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, Sen. McCain successfully found his oil backdrop in California Monday to promote his energy plan.

“There is abundant (oil) resources in the view of the people who are in the business that could be exploited in a matter of months,” McCain said during a brief statement to reporters in front of an oil pumping unit in a field owned by the San Joaquin Facilities Management, Inc. “We all know that (the) comprehensive solution is wind, tide, solar–all of the things that all of us believe in but it also means offshore drilling and it also means nuclear power and it also means clean coal technology. In the mean time, as we develop all of these alternate sources of energy, it will be vital that we continue oil production at a high level–including offshore drilling.”

The Bakersfield area accounts for ten percent of U.S. domestic oil production according to the presumptive GOP nominee, who received a briefing from oil executives prior to speaking with reporters.

McCain, who did not take any questions, also continued his assault on Obama, who he has cast as “Dr. No” when it comes to energy policy.

“So Senator Obama opposes offshore drilling, he opposes reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, he opposes storage of spent nuclear fuel so he is the Dr. No of America’s energy future,” McCain said, adding that the Democrat “also opposes a gas tax holiday as a ‘gimmick.’”

During a conference call with reporters today, a McCain economic adviser also made the case that the GOPer’s long-term energy plan to expand drilling and expand the oil supply will actually lower oil prices in the short-term by providing an incentive for the industry to sell more oil now.

“If the price is going to be lower in the future because of more supply and less demand that price is going to come down in the future, that gives producers and others an incentive to sell more today rather than hoarding it, inventorying it, or failing to bring it out of the ground. And that’s an incentive that affects not just American firms but also the Middle East oil providers who look ahead and see policies coming into place which are going to affect the demand and supply over the long term, and we’ve already seen it in recent day as the price of oil has come down substantially,” said Martin Feldstein, a Harvard economics professor. “I think the key thing to understand, and to communicate to readers, is that policies that aim at the long term will have this favorable short term affect on prices.”

The Obama campaign returned fire on McCain arguing that the Republican is in the pocket of the oil industry.

“By handing out $4 billion in tax breaks to the biggest oil companies and proposing gimmicks like offshore drilling that won’t produce a drop of oil for seven years, Senator McCain’s energy plan fails to provide short-term relief to consumers or long-term independence from foreign oil,”said Obama campaign spokesman Hari Sevugan in a statement. “Barack Obama’s comprehensive solution to our energy crisis would force the oil companies to drill in the areas they’ve already leased, provide every American family with an immediate energy rebate and a middle-class tax cut worth $1,000, and invest $150 billion in renewable sources of energy that will create 5 million jobs and replace the oil we import from the Middle East by 2025.”